ACLU threatens Utah parents' right to protect children from same-sex propaganda
ADF affirms school’s decision to secure parental permission before children check out homosexual advocacy book from libraries
Tuesday, Jun 26, 2012
ADF attorney sound bite: Jeremy Tedesco
FARMINGTON, Utah — The Alliance Defense Fund sent a letter Friday to the Davis School District in support of its policy that requires parental consent before children can check out a homosexual advocacy book titled “In Our Mothers’ House” from elementary school libraries. The American Civil Liberties Union contacted the district and demanded that it allow children to access the book without the knowledge of their parents.
“Public schools should not surrender to ACLU intimidation when it asks them to expose children to sexual content without parental knowledge,” said ADF Legal Counsel Jeremy Tedesco. “Parents, not the ACLU, should decide whether young children have access to this type of propaganda, which is obviously aimed at re-educating children regarding the nature of the family. The law clearly upholds the right and duty of schools to protect children and respect the role of their parents.”
A petition signed by 25 parents objecting to the book’s accessibility to children without parental consent was taken to the school district after a kindergarten boy from Windridge Elementary School brought the book home. As a result, the district now requires a signed parental permission slip before any student can check out the book.
As the ADF letter explains, U.S. Supreme Court precedent supports the district’s decision to require parental consent before providing young students with materials that touch upon human sexuality.
“Parents have the ‘fundamental right’ to ‘direct the upbringing and education of children under their control.’ The District is right to leave such decisions to them,” states the ADF letter. “It is ‘established beyond debate’ that ‘parents have the primary role…in the upbringing of their children.’”
“Children in elementary schools are not mentally or emotionally prepared to deal with topics involving human sexuality without careful guidance from their parents,” concludes Tedesco. “We hope that the district will continue to act in the best educational interests of its youngest students and not concede to the ACLU’s unreasonable demands.”
- Pronunciation guide: Tedesco (Tuh-DESS’-ko)
ADF is a legal alliance of Christian attorneys and like-minded organizations defending the right of people to freely live out their faith. Launched in 1994, ADF employs a unique combination of strategy, training, funding, and litigation to protect and preserve religious liberty, the sanctity of life, marriage, and the family.
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