As four recent events in the Denver area show, parents' rights and society's needs sometimes collide, with battles often fought in public schools. This issue should be explicitly recognized in school policy. Policymakers should address disputed facts; develop guidelines for including parents in determining outcomes, solutions, and evaluation…

The term "parental rights" has assumed a new, potentially disruptive meaning. Instead of working collaboratively to address their concerns and differences, some parents desire the right to use courts to sue schools to get their way. Colorado and Virginia parental rights legislation was recently defeated, but a federal bill affirming…

The National Parent Teacher Association acknowledges parents' primary child-rearing role, but questions the need for legislation to extend parents' constitutional rights. Parents already have numerous rights and options for fighting "unreasonable" government interference. The laws that upset parental rights proponents are needed to…

The California 3Rs project aims to prepare educators and community leaders to use First Amendment principles to address issues of religious liberty and religious/ethnic diversity and to help educators teach about religion and cultures in constitutionally and educationally sound ways. The project helped school officials and conservative Christians…

Widespread "family abuse" by the child protective services industry and feelings of parental "disenfranchisement" have spawned the Parental Rights Movement and associated legislation. Legislation often focuses on formal recognition that parental rights are fundamental and should be protected from government interference;…

There is growing agreement from right to left concerning the role of religion in public schools. Under the First Amendment, public schools can neither inculcate nor inhibit religion. Neutrality means fairness. Students' religious liberty rights must be protected by school policies and practices. Also, religion must be treated fairly in the…

The Improving America's School Act funds numerous small programs that dissipate its purpose and increase its vulnerability. Congress is debating extension of federal roles into areas such as social promotion, parental rights, reading programs, class-size reduction, and national voluntary tests. Changing budget rules pits education against military…