A Parents’ Guide to Protecting Your Child at School

Parental rights are fundamental rights protected by the U.S. Constitution. These rights extend to all areas of their children’s lives—from the home, to the playground, and yes, even to the classroom. Every parent not only has the right to raise and educate their child but a duty to do so.

For more than a century, courts have recognized that parents—not the government—are the primary educators of their children and bear the central responsibility for their upbringing. That includes decisions about schooling, healthcare, moral and religious instruction, and other sensitive topics related to identity, sexuality, and gender.

But for many years, courts gave public schools wide discretion and authority—especially in curriculum decisions. While parents have long had the freedom to choose public, private, or home education, families who chose public school often found themselves increasingly left out of the conversation when it came to what was taught in the classroom. In some cases, parents have been surprised by lessons or policies they were never informed about, which raised real concern for their families. But the Courts are beginning to change that imbalance, restoring a more appropriate decision-making role for parents in their children’s education.

When the government ignores—or worse, attempts to replace—parents, it not only undermines trust in educational institutions; it sets society up for failure by undermining the most foundational unit of a thriving society: the family.

This is why parental rights must be defended, from the classroom to the school gymnasium and wherever else they may be ignored or infringed. And it’s important that parents be informed and equipped to ensure their rights are honored by schools and educators.

How parental rights are undermined in education today

Many parents have been caught off guard by the degree to which gender ideology has been slowly seeping into the classroom. That pace has only quickened over the past ten years and has led to parents’ rights being violated in several ways:

1. Curriculum Introduced Without Notice – Parents sometimes learn about controversial lessons or books only after their child has already been exposed to them, including material involving sensitive topics like gender and sexuality. A recent Supreme Court case from 2025, Mahmoud v. Taylor, strengthened parents’ ability—when religious beliefs are implicated—to ask questions, request notice, seek opt-outs from certain materials, and expect transparency from public schools.
2. Social Transition Without Parental Consent – Some schools secretly facilitate a student’s social transition to a new “gender identity” by using opposite-sex names and pronouns at school and then withholding this critical information from their parents. A 2026 Supreme Court opinion in Mirabelli v. Bonta held that such policies “likely violate parents’ rights to direct the upbringing and education of their children.” Applying Mahmoud and other landmark cases like Meyer v. Nebraska and Parham v. J.R., the court found such policies were an “intrusion” on parents’ free-exercise rights and that parents’ fundamental rights “include the right not to be shut out of participation in decisions regarding their children’s mental health.”
3. Student Surveys That Go Too Far – Some schools administer surveys that ask students about sexuality and gender identity, mental health and thoughts of self-harm, political and religious beliefs, or other deeply personal matters — sometimes without first obtaining required parental consent. Federal law requires schools to notify parents and obtain consent before asking certain sensitive questions, yet families are not always made aware. These surveys are often digital, making them difficult for parents to review and raising concerns about how responses are stored or shared.

Equipping parents to protect their rights

The parents in the Mahmoud case highlighted a basic truth: You don’t need any special training—or permission—to be more involved in your child’s education. The following steps will help you stay informed, protect your child, and create a clear paper trail if concerns arise.

Access to curriculum

Parents have a legal right to understand what their children are being taught in school. The level of transparency and the procedures for reviewing instructional materials can, however, vary depending on state law, school district policies, and the subject matter involved.

This variance can make reviewing or opting out of certain content more difficult, but parents should still pursue transparency and ask to review all instructional materials used in their child’s classroom.

Such materials include:

• Books and readings
• Lesson plans and learning activities
• Videos and multimedia resources
• Surveys and questionnaires
• Supplemental or teacher-generated materials introduced during the school year.

As parents, it’s important to be proactive in taking action to better equip yourself with accurate information about what your child is being taught or exposed to at school. When making a request:

• Ask to review all instructional materials, including books, handouts, videos, online resources, assembly information, and teacher-created content.
• Remember that “curriculum” includes anything used to teach or influence your child—not just textbooks.
• Request ongoing notice and access throughout the school year, since curriculum can change mid-year—especially in districts where formal opt-out options are limited.

Remember, parents can’t make informed decisions about their child’s education if they don’t know what’s being taught.

Advance notice

Parents can—and should—request advance notice before their child is exposed to certain topics or materials, especially those involving sexuality, gender ideology, religion or belief systems, personal values, and mental health.

When requesting curriculum access, also ask the school to provide advance notice before student surveys are administered or lessons involving sensitive or controversial topics are taught. Submit this request in writing and ask for the opportunity to review materials ahead of time.

This matters because parents can’t exercise their rights if they’re kept in the dark. Notice gives parents time to review content and make the best decision for their child and family.

Ability to opt out

One of the most important tools at a parent’s disposal is the ability to opt out of certain curriculum. Parents may request that their child be exempted from specific lessons, activities, or materials that conflict with their family’s values or sincerely held beliefs. These opt-out requests should be specific, be submitted in writing, and be renewed each school year. Note that if an opt-out request is based on religious, moral, ethical, or other beliefs, parents should make that clear and be very specific in their request.

Your child shouldn’t be exposed to material that you deem inappropriate or that interferes with their moral and religious upbringing. To help ensure this doesn’t happen, submit annual opt-out requests each academic year, and be sure to identify the specific materials you do not want your child participating in, such as objectionable books, lessons, or instructional materials addressing sexuality, gender identity, occult or spiritual themes, graphic violence, or curriculum units covering similar content.

You can also request and opt out of surveys/questionnaires that may ask unsuitable or deeply personal questions.

When submitting an opt-out request, make sure you:

• Clearly identify the applicable academic year (i.e., “2026-2027”)
• Request that the opt-out be included in the student’s permanent education record
• Ask that relevant teachers and administrators be informed
• Request notice if new or supplemental materials or surveys are being introduced during the school year

Best practices for parents

When getting more directly involved with your child’s education, there are some best practices to keep in mind.

State your reasons clearly – If a request is based on religious, moral, ethical, or scientific beliefs, state that briefly and plainly in writing. You do not need to justify your beliefs, but explaining why certain material conflicts with them can help the school respond appropriately.

Directly address secret social transitions in writing – Parents are well within their rights to submit a written request to a school stating that their child should not be socially transitioned at school, should only be treated consistently with their sex, and requiring parental consent for any changes related to names or pronouns.

Protect privacy in facilities and activities – Parents may also request that their child not share restrooms, locker rooms, or overnight accommodations with students of the opposite sex.  These particular requests can be framed as matters of student privacy, safety, dignity, and parental decision-making authority.

Keep documentation – If questions, concerns, or issues arise later, documentation matters. Be sure to keep copies of relevant communications with school administrators, counselors, and teachers, including all responses from school officials.

When legal help may be needed

Some situations may require legal assistance. Parents may seek legal guidance if a school refuses to provide reasonable notice and appropriate access to curriculum, ignores or denies requests for advance notice and curriculum review, or otherwise withholds information about a child’s physical or mental well-being.

Take, for example, what happened to Dan and Jennifer Mead. The two Michigan parents had noticed that their daughter was struggling and began communicating regularly with her school about their daughter’s academic progress and well-being.

The Meads trusted that the school staff was keeping them fully informed about how their daughter was doing and how she was being treated. But that trust was betrayed when they discovered that the school had begun treating their daughter like a boy without their knowledge or consent—using male pronouns and a masculine name for her at school and actively hiding that information from them by using her given name and accurate pronouns when communicating with the Meads. Dan and Jennifer learned about this deception when a document they received was partially unaltered, leaving some references to the masculine name and male pronouns

When the Meads realized what was happening, they were shocked and forced to eventually remove their daughter from school when they learned that the school district policy authorized this sort of deception. Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys filed a lawsuit on the Meads’ behalf to protect their fundamental parental rights to make decisions about their daughter’s education and well-being.

We know that navigating legal issues with schools can be challenging and complex, but Alliance Defending Freedom is here to help.

Request Legal Help

Parents are the primary authority in their child’s life

Parents, you are not alone. Concerns about parental rights and transparency are cropping up across the country—and many like-minded parents are taking steps to ensure that their rights are respected.

Parents should be the ones making the major decisions in their child’s life. Simply put, schools cannot exclude parents from important decisions or hide critical information from them about their child’s education and well-being. Parents know and love their children best. And parents—not schools—have the right and responsibility to direct their children’s upbringing and education.

Parental rights are not a courtesy extended by the school when it’s convenient. They are constitutionally protected rights to be recognized and respected by schools as they partner with parents in the education of their children.

If you found this article helpful, download our Parents in Control guide, sign up for our emails, or consider donating to help protect parental rights.

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