Arizona Laws 15-113. Rights of parents; public educational institutions; definitions
A. A parent of a student in a public educational institution has the right to review learning materials and activities in advance. A parent who objects to any learning material or activity on the basis that the material or activity is harmful may request to withdraw that parent’s student from the activity or from the class or program in which the material is used and request an alternative assignment.
Terms Used In Arizona Laws 15-113
- Accommodation school: means either:
(a) A school that is operated through the county board of supervisors and the county school superintendent and that the county school superintendent administers to serve a military reservation or territory that is not included within the boundaries of a school district. See Arizona Laws 15-101
- Charter school: means a public school established by contract with the state board of education, the state board for charter schools, a university under the jurisdiction of the Arizona board of regents, a community college district or a group of community college districts pursuant to article 8 of this chapter to provide learning that will improve pupil achievement. See Arizona Laws 15-101
- enrollment: means that a pupil is currently registered in the school district. See Arizona Laws 15-901
- Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
- including: means not limited to and is not a term of exclusion. See Arizona Laws 1-215
- Parent: means the natural or adoptive parent of a child or a person who has custody of a child. See Arizona Laws 15-101
- School district: means a political subdivision of this state with geographic boundaries organized for the purpose of the administration, support and maintenance of the public schools or an accommodation school. See Arizona Laws 15-101
- Writing: includes printing. See Arizona Laws 1-215
B. A charter school may require parents to waive the right to object to learning materials or activities pursuant to subsection A of this section as a condition of enrollment if the charter school provides a complete list of books and materials to be used each school year before the student enrolls. If the charter school introduces books or materials that were not disclosed prior to enrollment, the parent retains the right to object to those materials pursuant to subsection A of this section.
C. A charter school may require that any request to review learning materials or activities or to withdraw the student from learning materials or activities pursuant to subsection A of this section be made in writing.
D. A public educational institution shall obtain signed, written consent from a student’s parent or guardian before doing either of the following:
1. Using video, audio or electronic materials that may be inappropriate for the age of the student.
2. Providing sex education instruction to the student. At the same time the public educational institution seeks consent, it shall inform the student’s parent or guardian of the parent’s or guardian’s right to review the instructional materials and activities.
E. For the purposes of this section:
1. "Objects to any learning material or activity on the basis that the material or activity is harmful" means objecting to the material or activity because of sexual content, violent content or profane or vulgar language.
2. "Public educational institution" means any of the following:
(a) A school district, including its schools.
(b) A charter school.
(c) An accommodation school.
(d) The Arizona state schools for the deaf and the blind.