Dive Brief:

• The Texas attorney general is demanding a copy of a human sexuality course taught by the Fort Worth Independent School District. The district does not allow students to bring the materials home for parents to see, wrote the Houston Chronicle.
• The district, however, says parents are allowed to come to the school to go through everything used in the class ,which fulfills a health education requirement for middle school students.
• Each district is permitted to design its own health course as long as the curriculum meets Texas Education Code mandates.

Dive Insight:

Parents are typically deluged with materials and papers at the start of every school year that they’re expected to read and sign. These can range from permission slips for field trips, to details about school curriculum that sometimes allow parents to opt their child out of taking.

Ensuring parents read through this material is difficult. While schools can demand letters are returned by certain deadlines, and keep students from trips until they’re returned, these measures don’t prove parents fully scanned the information. (How many people read every word before they download an app?)

School administrators could consider holding parent nights, or offer live webcasts in small groups that let working parents, caregivers and those who have younger children, a chance to get information while still at home. (Google Hangouts works well for up to 10 people.) The goal should be to educate children — while also keeping parents informed about their child’s learning path. The controversy in Texas demonstrates that multiple communication methods are often needed.