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Three Rivers board reviews revamped health‑education opt‑out notices, stresses clearer parent access
Summary
District staff showed a simplified opt‑out calendar, sample parent letters and a central website page with lesson titles and ODE contact information; administrators said publisher copyright limits prevent posting some curriculum materials online but staff will offer in‑person or phone review options and track opt‑outs by grade.
District staff presented an updated process for parents to opt children out of specific health‑education lessons, and the board discussed how to make notices clearer and easier to use.
Director Jessica Durant and district administrator Travis Osborne told the Three Rivers School District board the updated materials respond to five board requests: shorten the letters, include Oregon Department of Education (ODE) contact information, list lesson titles, centralize dates and documents online, and increase parent reminders. Durant said the district has posted a calendar and sample letters on its website in English and Spanish and will upload high school letters by the November date shown in the calendar.
“Parents can see the calendar, the lesson titles and a copy of the opt‑out letters online,” Durant said. She and Osborne said parents who request review of curriculum materials can view them at a school or the district office and that the district has included links to ODE resources where publishers restrict online posting of materials.
Board members pressed staff on whether parents are using the new notices and how the district records opt‑outs. Durant said two parents had already used ParentSquare to request an opt‑out after the district sent letters on Oct. 14, and school staff maintain opt‑out records at the school level so the district can compile yearly statistics by grade. Durant offered to bring aggregated opt‑out counts to the board in June.
Administrators also explained limits the district faces: some K–8 curriculum publishers (identified in the meeting as the Great Body Shop) do not allow the district to post copyrighted lesson text on its site. Durant said the district provides links, in‑person review appointments and phone access so parents can see lesson content without violating copyright.
Pat Kelly, a board member, urged the board to be “blunt and direct” in notices and to quote state standards verbatim so parents understand exactly what will be taught. Several public commenters similarly urged explicit language and easier access to material listings so parents can decide whether to opt their children out.
The board scheduled a short work session an hour before the next regular meeting to review related policies (IF, IFD and IIA) and to give the board direction on any further changes to notices.
The discussion ended with staff committing to post the calendar and letters, keep records of opt‑outs by grade and continue outreach to parents about how to request reviews or alternatives for students who opt out.
