Enforce parental rights, U.S. Department of Education warns schools, states
Tampa Bay Times | By: Jeffrey S. Solochek | August 27, 2026
The big story: Anastasios Kamoutsas might be gone from Florida’s education commissioner chair, but the warnings he delivered on his first day in office a year ago are far from forgotten.
The U.S. Department of Education has picked up the parental rights charge. In a “Dear Colleague” letter issued Wednesday, the department reminded state school officers and superintendents of their legal obligations in dealing with issues such as student health screenings and parental access to curriculum.
It also used the letter to point out “several areas of concern” tagged over the past year. Those include parental consent for children to participate in surveys, parent rights to inspect their children’s education records, appropriate use of cellphones and other devices at school, and access of military recruiters to high school students.
The letter also reminds officials of their requirement to annually and effectively notify parents and students of their privacy rights. A related press release states that the notification comes at a time of “rampant reports” that schools have withheld information such as records related to gender from parents, and conducted sexually explicit surveys “even after parents opted their children out.”
“Parents know what is best for their children,” Frank Miller, director of the Student Privacy Policy Office, said in the release. “Yet, we continue to see schools adopt policies that shut parents out of their children’s lives at school. The Department is committed to putting parents back in the driver’s seat. We will fully enforce FERPA and PPRA and ensure parents have the information and authority they need to make decisions for their children.”
