Parents deserve to know what their children are reading. 

We’re asking the Cherry Creek School District (CCSD) to adopt a policy requiring that parents and guardians be notified in advance about controversial or sensitive topics contained in required reading materials — and be reminded each year of their right to opt out.

Why This Matters
Cherry Creek School District has long been known for educational excellence and its core values of trust, empathy, belonging, and whole well-being. To uphold those values, the district should provide families with transparency about what students are reading in class — especially when materials include sensitive subjects such as sexual content, violence, suicide, racism, or substance abuse.

Parents are notified in advance about lockdown drills, testing, surveys, and even PG-13 or R-rated movies. Yet, when it comes to books that may contain explicit or mature content, no such notice is required. That needs to change. 

A Personal Experience
Recently, my child, a student at Cherokee Trail High School, was assigned a book that normalized pornography and contained other sexual content. She came home upset and uncomfortable. I was surprised — not only by the material itself but by the lack of any prior notice. I was blindsided. 

This petition is not about banning books. I recognize that some parents are fine with this content, but some are not. It’s about transparency, communication, and respect for family values and student well-being.

You can read the full correspondence with the district about a questionable book here:
 👉 Open Letter – “Part Time Indian” Concern​

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GRr6V26BKKP1z_w_9gxcduNEvNvjemWCtYBxdtjfsRA/edit?usp=sharing

What We’re Asking For
We respectfully urge the Cherry Creek School Board to implement a policy that:

• Requires schools to provide parents/guardians with a yearly list of required reading materials.
• Identifies books containing sensitive or controversial topics.
• Reminds parents of their right to opt their student out and request an alternative assignment.

This simple step would build trust, foster stronger parent-school relationships, and help students thrive through family involvement. Parenting is difficult and busy, so this new policy would be a great support to parents.  In discussions with district representatives, they have expressed “a willingness from the schools to provide a heads-up about this book’s content.” This is encouraging and appreciated—and we ask that this be formalized into a permanent board policy.

 

Examples: Transparency in Practice

While I value the incredible work teachers do in building relationships with students, it's crucial to acknowledge that they might not be fully aware of every child's personal history, values, or unique family circumstances.  For example, if a child has recently lost a loved one and they read a book about someone passing away, and the parent has been informed of this, they are now able to talk about it together and get support from parents.  This is best for students. Another one of Cherry Creeks' core values is whole wellbeing and in order for students to thrive, it is best to bring parents in on difficult conversations.  

I do believe that books can open up conversations about difficult topics in a unique way and all I’m asking is that parents be informed in advance.  

A simple email at the start of the year could resolve this. Teachers could introduce themselves, share the reading list, note any potentially controversial themes, and explain the educational value of the selected works. This approach promotes transparency and mutual respect from day one. 

For instance, one of Cherokee Trail High School’s required readings for English 9 is The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. Parents should be informed that this book contains references to:

• Pornography and masturbation
• Racism (use of the N-word)
• Objectification of women
• Alcoholism
• Death of a loved one
• Abuse and violence

Each book would, of course, have its own unique set of themes, and families could make informed decisions together.

Legal Context
The recent Supreme Court ruling in Mahmoud v. Taylor reinforces parents’ rights to opt their children out of materials that conflict with family values or beliefs. Many experts believe this ruling also supports the right to be informed in advance of such materials. After all, parents cannot exercise that right if they are unaware of the content.

This is from page 14 of a “Parental Toolkit.” 

https://will-law.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/ParentalToolkit-SinglePage-1.pdf

“What must schools do to comply with this decision? To comply with Mahmoud v. Taylor, public schools must allow parents to opt their children out of any instructional content that conflicts with their sincerely held religious beliefs—not just materials related to gender identity or sexuality. Schools must provide a clear opt-out process, treat all religious objections neutrally, and ensure that students who are opted out are not penalized. They should ideally ensure that students who are opted out also receive appropriate alternative instruction. While the Supreme Court did not impose a blanket requirement for advance notice in all instructional contexts, it held that the refusal by Montgomery County Public Schools to notify parents or honor opt-out requests violated the Constitution. That decision underscores that schools cannot undermine parental rights by keeping families in the dark. To avoid similar violations, districts should adopt clear policies for identifying sensitive or controversial topics, such as sexuality, gender identity, or race essentialism, and should err on the side of providing notice. While schools cannot anticipate every objection, transparency is the best safeguard for respecting constitutional rights. This ruling applies to any content that could undermine a parent’s efforts to instill religious values at home, including but not limited to instruction on religion, morality, or other topics presented in ways that contradict the family’s faith. The key principle is that parents (not the government) have the primary right to direct their child’s religious upbringing, and public schools may not interfere with that right unless they can meet the strict scrutiny standard. Districts should update policies and assign staff to ensure timely compliance.

To comply with Mahmoud, school boards should adopt clear procedures for notifying parents in advance when content that may implicate religious concerns will be used and should provide a clear opt-out process. Transparency and communication with families are key. The Supreme Court’s decision in Mahmoud v. Taylor is a powerful reminder that public schools must respect the constitutional rights of parents.” 

Here is a sample school board policy.  Site is from Wisconsin, but could be adapted for Colorado:

https://will-law.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/ModelPolicies-2ndEdition-ModelPolicy40.pdf

Our Goal
By signing this document, you’re supporting:

• Transparency between schools and families
• Respect for diverse values and beliefs
• Partnership in students’ education and well-being

Together, we can encourage Cherry Creek School District to take this small but important step toward open communication and mutual trust. 

✍️ Sign this petition today to ask the Cherry Creek School Board to require advance notice to parents about controversial or sensitive topics in required school reading.
 Let’s work together to make our schools transparent, communicative, and student-centered.