JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Some parents and teachers are not happy about a new policy for Duval County Public Schools that requires students to have a permission slip to participate in any school-related activity.
The Duval County School Board passed the rule change at last month’s regular meeting.
Activities can be anything from a birthday party to a holiday celebration and even a musical performance.
The permission slip has a description of what the event is, when it is happening, who would be supervising -- like a chaperone or school staff -- and then a required signature from a parent or guardian.
It is getting a lot of attention, including a blog post a parent made on a site called “Jax Kids Matter” that talks about the letter they received.
The blogger says this will make things overwhelming for teachers and students.
The policy stems from a new rule enacted by the Florida State Board of Education last July that DCPS now must follow.
According to the State Board, the policy “protects the innocence of students by ensuring they are not exposed to inappropriate school-sponsored events.”
It also says the policy “enhances the safety and welfare of students in Florida public schools and protects parental rights.”
One controversial recent example of the permission slip issue in the Miami-Dade County Public Schools district described an event as a “read-aloud” event where “students will participate and listen to a book written by an African American.”
The event was scheduled for Feb. 13 at Coral Way K-8.
Miami-Dade Public Schools ended up putting out the following statement:
“We realize that the description of the event may have caused confusion, and we are working with our schools to reemphasize the importance of clarity for parents in describing activities/events that would require parental permission. However, in compliance with State Law, permission slips were sent home because guest speakers would participate during a school-authorized education-related activity.”
When asked how DCPS plans to handle concerns parents and teachers might have about the new policy, a spokesperson issued the following statement:
“Earlier this fall, the Florida State Board of Education passed State Board rule 6A-10.089. This state rule requires Florida school districts to develop procedures for parental consent for school-sponsored events and activities. Here is a link to the state rule: https://www.fldoe.org/core/fileparse.php/20653/urlt/14-2.pdf.
We implemented the requirements of the state rule earlier this school year, while we went through the formal process of drafting, noticing, and approving the district’s Procedures for Parent Consent.”