Roseville Joint Union High School District: Are Parent Rights a Priority?
Last year, Roseville Joint Union High School District was one of the local school districts that allowed recruiting for the Youth Drag show event that was covered by Project Veritas. Project Veritas youth drag show event coverage was one of the last stories that they did under the leadership of their founder, James O'Keefe. Sadly, the youth drag show story died because as soon as O'Keefe left, stories from Project Veritas were dismissed and not shared via social media.
A team of folks collected what was known about the ‘fundraising innovation’ created by having high school boys dress as burlesque women and dance on stage for donations and wrote about it in Wake Up Placer. The Wake Up Placer Article shares the ads, registration form and information about the ‘youth drag show fundraiser’ which was co-created by 10 high schools in 3 high school districts - and the Loomis Basin Congregational United Church of Christ via their ‘Landing Spot’ outreach mission.
While the outrage of a program that told boys to dress as women and dance on stage for cash tips drove the church, and its pastor, out of most high schools, the overall direction of many of the schools has been to continue taking steps to reduce parent influence on issues of student sexuality.
Why? In part because teachers have decided to take up the fight for students' rights.
Teachers such as Travis Mougeotte (Rocklin Unified School District, Teachers Union President), Mona De Arcos (Dry Creek Joint Elementary School District, Teachers Union President) have attacked their school boards. Using bombastic language and outrageous antics, teachers are being clear that parents do not have the right to know if their child is discussing their sexual identity with the school. Videos of their arguments (with no tricky editing) can be found below:
After watching these videos you will hear, in the teachers unions’ own words, what they intend to do.
Why do they get to make these arguments? Because most parents will not discuss this issue with their child’s teacher. If we want change, parents must firmly and regularly share their thoughts with their child’s teacher.
Some Placer School Districts are changing policies to weaken parents’ rights
While Rocklin Unified School District and Dry Creek Joint Elementary School District are writing policies to strengthen and clarify parents’ rights, other Placer School districts are taking steps to weaken them.
The policies written by the Roseville Joint Union High School District’s (RJUSHD) after the youth drag show ‘event’ are weakening a parent’s right to know what is going on with their child.
RJUSHD’s President shared a district wide email (below) that shares a high level review of the Board President Pete Constant’s view of the issue. President Constant’s view of Roseville Joint Union High School District's policy to define parents' rights to know about a change in their child's health status (changing their name or discussions about medical/mental health issues attached to LGBTQ discussions with teachers or staff) is spread across 5 policies.
That fact alone creates a hurdle to understanding the policy and its clear execution by teachers.
A reading of the five policies/regulations did not yield language where teachers/staff are required to notify parents as the combined policies allow for teachers/staff to interject their judgment.
A review of the Roseville Joint Union High School District policies demonstrate that there are places where a teacher/staff could argue that they are following policy by not disclosing information to a parent, even if a parent requests information, because the teacher/staff is taking actions that are (a) based on the student's request to keep data confidential or (b) doing so would not be in the child's best interest.
There are many examples of policy gaps, e.g., item (15) in the Board Policy Manual Regulation 5020.2: Student Rights And Responsibilities directs school staff that "disclosure of such information requires the student’s consent unless the counselor has a reasonable cause to believe disclosure is necessary…" (the entirety of item 15 is included in its entirety later in this article).
The joint policies and regulations seem to go against Board Policy Manual: Regulation 5020: Parent Rights And Responsibilities - but most of that policy was written before 2023. It's important to note that the student rights policies and regulations that the Board President shared in his email were written in November of 2023 (last year) when Pastor Casey Tinnen/the Landing Spot team's youth drag show was being discussed within the community (see Project Veritas video link above).
While the set of policies could allow a teacher/staff to choose not to share information if a parent asks, what is clear is that the set of RJUHSD's policies only provide information if a parent asks.
It seems that the energy for this set of policies comes from the idea that good parents know what is going on with their kids. Bad parents don't know what is going on with their kids and what they don't know won't hurt them.
However, if you withhold important data from any parent, you are setting them up to fail.
It’s important to note that while the Rocklin Unified School District and the Dry Creek Joint Elementary School District teachers attacked their School boards, Roseville Joint Union High School District’s teacher’s union president, Natalie Robbins, shared that after the damage that was done to the LGBTQ students last year (presumably by not allowing the third year drag show ever to occur on the school campus) the Board has a chance to repair relations with the LGBTQ community by developing a board policy that would not require folks to tell parents if their child is thinking about changing their sexual identity. Hear Robbins’ comments:
A link to each policy is provided below along with its creation and last review date. This article only shares the part of the policy/regulation that supports the arguments made in this article. Italics are provided for emphasis and were not included in the policy. If, after your review, you can point to RJUHSD language that supersedes my argument, send an email to wakeupplacer@gmail.com.
Policies, Regulations, Comments:
Board Policy Manual: Policy 0260: Balancing Educational Rights
Original Adopted Date: 11/09/2023 | Last Reviewed Date: 11/09/2023
Policy 0260: Balancing Educational Rights.
Statements from this Policy:
In creating a secure and respectful space for every student, the Board acknowledges and supports the comprehensive rights of students and parents/guardians. The Board is committed to upholding these rights and striving to maintain a balance, while fostering clear and candid communication between staff and parents/guardians and encouraging open communication between students and parents/guardians. The Board strongly believes that effective communication serves as the cornerstone for building and sustaining trust within families and our school community.
Policy Reference Disclaimer (at the bottom of the policy): “These references are not intended to be part of the policy itself, nor do they indicate the basis or authority for the board to enact this policy. Instead, they are provided as additional resources for those interested in the subject matter of the policy.”
Board Policy Manual: Policy 5020: Parent Rights And Responsibilities
Policy 5020: Parent Rights and Responsibilities.
Original Adopted Date: 10/13/2015 | Last Revised Date: 11/09/2023
The Board believes that the education of the district's students is a shared responsibility. The Superintendent or designee shall work with parents/guardians, including parents/guardians of English learners, to determine appropriate roles and responsibilities of parents/guardians, school staff and students for continuing the intellectual, physical, emotional and social development and well-being of students at each school site, including the means by which the schools and parents/guardians can help students achieve academic and other standards of the school.
The Board recognizes that the district works in partnership with families and believes honest communication and transparency is the foundation for establishing relationships and sustaining trust within a school community. Parents or guardians will be notified in a timely manner for all matters affecting their child’s education, physical, mental, or emotional well-being in order to promote the best outcomes for academic and social-emotional success of their children.
Board Policy Manual: Regulation 5020: Parent Rights And Responsibilities
Regulation 5020: Parent Rights and Responsibilities.
Original Adopted Date: 10/13/2015 | Last Revised Date: 11/09/2023
11. To be notified on a timely basis if a staff member has submitted a referral regarding their child’s academic, behavioral, physical, or mental well-being
12. To be notified in accordance with California Education Code 49602(c) when the child’s counselor has a reasonable cause to believe disclosure is necessary to avert a clear and present danger to the health, safety, or welfare of the pupil or others in the community.
Any personal information shared by a student aged 12 or older during counseling, as specified in California Education Code 49602, is considered confidential. The disclosure of such information requires the student’s consent unless the counselor has a reasonable cause to believe disclosure is necessary to avert a clear and present danger to the health, safety, and welfare of the pupil or others in the community. It is the intent that school counselors encourage and assist the child to communicate more effectively and not withhold information from their parents/guardians in order to support positive outcomes for the child’s well being and academic success (Education Code 49602).
Board Policy Manual: Policy 5020.2: Student Rights And Responsibilities
Original Adopted Date: 11/09/2023 | Last Reviewed Date: 11/09/2023
Policy 5020.2: Student Rights and Responsibilities.
The Board of Trustees recognizes that students have certain rights as well as responsibilities related to achieving success in their education. These rights ensure their access to educational opportunities in a secure and respectful setting. The Board desires to empower students with diverse opportunities to collaborate with the school community ensuring that all students graduate well-prepared for college, career, and life.
Note: The Superintendent or designee shall ensure that district staff understand the rights of students afforded by Federal and State laws as well as Board policies, administrative regulations, the California Interscholastic Federation By-Laws, Associated Student By-Laws, and follow acceptable practices that respect those rights.
Board Policy Manual: Regulation 5020.2: Student Rights And Responsibilities
Regulation 5020.2 Student Rights and Responsibilities.
Original Adopted Date: 11/09/2023 | Last Reviewed Date: 11/09/2023
10. All students should experience a safe and secure educational process and environment focused on self-improvement, including an environment where students feel supported by everyone on campus, regardless of school site staff position or stature
11. All students should experience an educational environment that does not discriminate against them by race, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, socioeconomic status, appearance, disabilities, and all other legally protected categories and backgrounds reflected in the student body
12. All students should be informed and reminded of policies and rules in their school and have the opportunity to address perceived unfair treatment
13. All students should have access to school counselors to receive academic, collegiate, and career counseling, including social emotional guidance as needed, to fulfill both their personal and academic needs
14. All students should have access to mental health and emotional support, as available and designated for such purposes
15. Any personal information shared by a student aged 12 or older during counseling, as specified in California Education Code 49602, is considered confidential. The disclosure of such information requires the student’s consent unless the counselor has a reasonable cause to believe disclosure is necessary to avert a clear and present danger to the health, safety, and welfare of the pupil or others in the community. It is the intent that school counselors encourage and assist the child to communicate more effectively and not withhold information from their parents/guardians in order to support positive outcomes for the child’s well-being and academic success (Education Code 49602).
Policy Reference Disclaimer (at the bottom of the policy: These references are not intended to be part of the policy itself, nor do they indicate the basis or authority for the board to enact this policy. Instead, they are provided as additional resources for those interested in the subject matter of the policy.
This article was updated on March 26, 2024 to include screenshots of the email from Peter Constant.