Model Hatch Amendment Letter
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For this reason society requires that the education of youth should be watched with the most scrupulous attention. Education is a great measurer, forms the moral character of men and morals are the basis of government. Noah Webster, 1758-1843
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Dear Sir:
I am the parent of _____ who attends ______ school. Under U. S. legislation and court decision, parents have the primary responsibility for their children’s education, and pupils have certain rights which the schools may not deny. Parents have the right to be assured that their children’s beliefs and moral values are not undermined by the schools. Pupils have the right to hold their values and moral standards without direct or indirect manipulation by the schools through curricula, textbooks, av material or supplementary assignments. Under the Hatch Amendment, I hearby request that my child not be involved in any school activity or material listed below unless I have first reviewed all the relevant material and given my written consent for their use.
1. Psychological and psychiatric treatment that is designed to affect behavioral, emotional or attitudinal characteristics of an individual or designed to elicit information about attitudes, habits, traits, opinions, beliefs, or feelings of an individual or group.
2. Values clarification, use of moral dilemmas, discussion of religious or moral standards, role playing, open ended discussions of situations involving moral issues, survival games including life/death decision exercises, contrived incidents for self-revelation, sensitivity training, group encounter sessions, talk-ins, magic circle techniques, self-evaluation, auto-criticism, strategies designed for self-disclosure including the keeping of a diary, journal or log book, sociograms, sociodramas, psychodramas, blindfolded walks, isolation techniques, death education including abortion, euthanasia, suicide, use of violence, discussions of death and dying, curricula pertaining to drugs and alcohol, nuclear war, nuclear policy, nuclear classroom games, globalism, one world government, anti-nationalistic curricula, discussion and testing on interpersonal relationship, discussions of attitudes towards parents and parenting, education in human sexuality including pre-marital sex.
The purpose of this letter is preserve my child’s rights under the pupil’s rights amendment, the Hatch Amendment to the General Education Act, and under its regulation, as published in the Federal Register on September 6, 1984, which became effective November 12, 1984. These regulations provide a procedure for filing complaints first at the local level, and then with the U. S. Department of Education. If a voluntary remedy fails, federal funds can be withdrawn from those in violation of the law. I respectfully ask you to send me a substantive response to this letter, attaching a copy of your policy statement on procedures for parental permission requirements to notify all my child’s teachers and to keep a copy of this letter in my child’s file. Thank you for your cooperation.
You should make a copy for yourself, the school principal, and the school system's superintendent. And if you don't feel the principal will 'do his job' and notify all your kids' teachers, print off copies for them ALSO.
You'll probably find that the school will try to bully you OUT of this stand. Don't let 'em do it.
We had the school's super tell us that he had to check with his lawyers to see if this was a valid 'demand' on our part. (oooo, quiver, quiver. NOT) But after he did his checking, they were VERY polite and accomodating! I actually got to freep them during the meeting to discuss curriculum and how to make momma happy. It was cooool. And I didn't even stutter or stammer ONCE. (so I KNOW the Lord was helping me there! I get 'tongue-tied' from nervousness. LOL!!!!!)