An odd and controversial book that our daughter has to read for 11th grade English...

[ancianita]

76. This is English, not science. But technically, yes; that's what other states' curriculum fights are

about right now, isn't it.

Don't put words in my mouth. "Opt out" is not a blanket right for the scope and sequence of curricula across ANY states, and has limited use in the realm of local reading lists.

States' publics' decide on the states' children's curricula. So don't think that a parent can rewrite curriculum at the school level, or that I'm telling her this. I'm reassuring her that in the realm of READINGS within a given unit, she can have her child read an equally skill-building text that the teacher has a responsibility to let her choose. That's it. Don't try to extrapolate some "misunderstanding" on my part, or some issues for me to have to answer to. I'm giving advice limited to this parent's context alone. Local ENGLISH subject readings are within the parents' local rights to question, and those readings must be within the concept/skill range set for that subject and grade.

Now, define curricula under California law and you can more credibly make your argument. Otherwise, I hold that any RANGE of books within the California state curriculum meet state guidelines. In this case, this teacher's choice would probably not have been approved under CA law, anyway.

And any teacher who won't accommodate parents' requests is not professional. Teacher autonomy is not absolute. At every state level in the country, teachers may not be told HOW to teach content, but they can legally be told WHAT to teach, along with the appropriate developmental scope and sequence they're told to, so let's not go there.