The United States Department of Education sent a letter to school superintendents December, 2014. This explained to them exactly what student and parents rights are in regards to the Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act (FERPA). This is the educational version of the medical HIPPA. In this letter, it talks about when parents can opt their child out of certain events which could cover standardized testing if read the right way!
Page 4, #1 and #7 in the below document gives the best clear reason for opt out I have ever seen. Under the section for the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment, it clearly states:
PPRA may apply to the programs and activities of a State educational agency (SEA), LEA, or other recipient of funds under any program administered by the Department. It governs the administration to elementary and secondary school students of a survey, analysis, or evaluation that concerns one or more of the following eight protected areas:
1. political affiliations or beliefs of the student or the students’ parent;
7. religious practices, affiliations, or beliefs of the student or the student’s parent.
In addition, it states the following:
PPRA also concerns the development of local policies concerning…the opportunity for the parent to opt the student out of participation in certain specific activities…
A case could certainly be made for this if parent opt out ever became an issue in a Federal court. My beliefs certainly don’t agree with standardized testing in a high-stakes one-size-fits-all environment. Read the below document and let me know your take on this!
The Season Of Myths 