Grand Canyon Times

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne has shared letters from the U.S. Department of Education with Arizona public schools, emphasizing the need for compliance with federal privacy laws to protect parents' rights. The letters require schools to submit documentation proving adherence to these laws or face potential loss of federal funding.

The issue at hand involves concerns that some local education agencies have misapplied the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), potentially withholding information from parents about their children. The federal guidance aligns with Arizona law, which reserves all parental rights exclusively to a parent without interference from any governmental entity.

Horne said, "The Secretary of Education is right to be concerned about schools that have misapplied privacy law to prevent parents from being fully informed about their children’s time at school. Misinforming parents or withholding information is an outrageous abuse of a school’s authority."

He further explained, "When my department established the Empower Hotline in 2023, we learned about a spreadsheet distributed in the Catalina Foothills school district with a list of pronouns chosen by students. Students were given the option of withholding information from their parents, and I publicized this matter." Horne also mentioned an incident in the Chandler district involving a Gay-Straight Alliance Club where emancipation paperwork was distributed without parental knowledge.

The new federal guidance mandates that schools verify such misapplications are not allowed, requiring documentation by April 30. A letter from U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon detailing this directive is available online.