All of society’s good and bad comes to bear in the public school system, and we see every situation imaginable at Chico Unified. During my years as a trustee with CUSD I’ve generally been very impressed with the quality of our intervention services and at the judgement our staff exhibits when making tough decisions on how to meet individual students’ needs. But my perspectives as a Board Member in this realm are limited to what I hear from staff and from the occasional parent who communicates with me about an experience that they or their child have had – I’m not sitting in counseling sessions, except those that involve my own four kids.
I am aware, however, that the State of California has in recent years been encroaching on parents’ rights to oversee the services, education and treatments that their kids receive while in school, and this is concerning. There’s no question that it is sometimes necessary for teachers and staff to intervene, playing a role in a child’s life that replaces what that student would have in a caring home, but this type of intervention should be used only rarely. We have to remember that these children are minors, generally under the legal guardianship of their parents, and I believe parents should always be given the opportunity to be informed and involved in the services their child is receiving from the district. Medical testing, medications, vaccines, crisis counseling, and decisions about gender identity are situations where school should not come between a parent and their child. Sometimes, we need to just stick to our basic mission of educating kids.
Covid-19
In the realm of Covid specifically, the California Legislature seems poised to make testing and regular shots a normal part of our lives moving forward in schools. Legislation that is currently zipping towards becoming law in California would lower the “age of consent” for receiving a Covid shot to 12 years old and prohibit parents from learning whether their child has received a shot. These measures are clear infringements on a parents’ right to oversee healthcare services their child receives while at public school, and as a Board Member I will do whatever I can to limit this kind of overreach at Chico Unified.
There is also groundwork being laid in the Legislature and at CDPH to make Covid testing a never-ending aspect of school life. This is also something I oppose -- our kids and teachers should be able to focus on learning, not be constantly solicited or harassed with Covid testing.
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