ST. CHARLES COUNTY 鈥 Some conservative parents have launched a campaign to exclude their children from leadership training, social-emotional learning, surveys, third-party presentations and health care in public schools.
The goal of 鈥淥peration Opt-Out鈥 from the 鈥渋s to arm parents with as much knowledge as possible to combat the ideological subversion that is being forced on our children.鈥
The opt-out forms available for download state they 鈥渟hall additionally serve to make clear that without my prior written consent, under no circumstances shall my child be subjected to the planned, systematic use of methods or techniques, as part of any program not mandated by the State of Missouri, that are not directly related to academic instruction and that are designed to affect my child鈥檚 behavioral, emotional, or attitudinal characteristics.鈥
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Tailored to each of the county鈥檚 five school districts, the forms cite programming from the companies Leader in Me and iReady along with nonprofits Compass Health and CHADS suicide prevention. The forms also cover topics such as social-emotional learning, anti-racism and critical race theory.
Leaders of the parents association did not respond to a request for comment through their website.
鈥淚t sure looks like Operation Opt-Out is part of the right-wing attack on public education. Their premise that our local schools are engaged in 鈥榠deological subversion鈥 is absurd,鈥 said Ted House, former Democratic state senator and circuit judge and co-founder of political action committee .
The forms could be broadly interpreted to exclude students from civics lessons provided by the Missouri Supreme Court, House said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 too nebulous, too unclear and the concern is they鈥檙e just looking for a school to make a mistake and then they file a lawsuit,鈥 he said.
According to the opt-out forms, parents can 鈥減ursue all potential actions, remedies, statutory, regulatory, and in tort,鈥 if the school district fails to comply 鈥渙r otherwise does not respect my legal rights regarding my child.鈥
School administrators in Wentzville said they have seen a recent uptick in parent-generated opt-out forms, which are not a valid request for student accommodations.
鈥淲e are currently rolling out a comprehensive opt-out process for parents who wish to opt their children out of various items,鈥 said Brynne Cramer, Wentzville spokeswoman. 鈥淔amilies will be able to opt out by completing a District form or working with the school counselor and/or administrator.鈥
The St. Charles city school district has not received any Operation Opt-Out forms. The other county districts 鈥 Fort Zumwalt, Francis Howell and Orchard Farm 鈥 did not respond to inquiries.
More than political concerns
Operation Opt-Out lands during a national push from conservatives for more oversight in school curriculum, particularly in matters of race and gender. A similar campaign launched this year from Great Schools Initiative in Michigan to keep students out of discussions of sexual orientation or gender identity.
The opt-out form for St. Charles County schools includes an exemption from vaccines and a requirement for single-sex bathrooms and locker rooms for 鈥渙ur family鈥檚 Christian religious beliefs which expects modesty, decency, and purity to be upheld, in accordance with our belief in God.鈥
But Operation Opt-Out also goes beyond political concerns to questions over corporate influence and data mining from online curriculum companies including iReady and Leader in Me.
The newly conservative majority on the Francis Howell School Board this year rejected a recommendation to approve the iReady online math learning and testing program for $1.3 million in 10 elementary schools over four years.
Leader in Me is the education arm of FranklinCovey, a $263 million Utah consulting company guided by the book 鈥7 Habits of Highly Effective People鈥 by Stephen Covey. The company sold $62 million in Leader in Me materials last year to more than 6,000 schools worldwide. Children are encouraged to set goals including 鈥渉ave a plan,鈥 鈥渨ork first, then play鈥 and 鈥渓isten before you talk.鈥
At least 75 schools are now using the program across the St. Louis region, almost exclusively in suburban areas and more than half in St. Charles County, according to the Leader in Me website.
Last March, the Wentzville School Board approved $1.8 million to adopt Leader in Me programming in its schools. Half of the funding came from federal coronavirus relief funds and the other half came from a Kern Family Foundation grant.
The program 鈥渃reates a high-trust school culture and lays the foundation for sustained academic achievement by teaching students personal responsibility, accountability, and goal setting,鈥 said Cramer, the Wentzville spokeswoman.
The Leader in Me website cites 24 studies showing benefits in schools that have adopted the program, primarily regarding behavior and culture. A 2014 study from the University of Missouri-Kansas City showed Leader in Me helped teachers with time management and students with goal setting and journaling.
Those so-called 鈥渟oft skills鈥 including teamwork, critical thinking and communication are most highly desired by future employers, according to the .
鈥淎s an education professional, I encourage parents to use every resource in preparing their students for tomorrow鈥檚 workforce,鈥 said Jamie Martin, president of the political action committee . 鈥淚f we look around at many of the most successful companies out there today, with goals for collaborative leadership, employee wellness, and diversity and inclusion, it鈥檚 clear that students opted out of these programs could find themselves ill-prepared for their future.鈥