JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Duval County teacher is speaking out over a new district policy involving permission slips. Duval County students now need a signed permission slip to attend things like classroom parties and book fairs.
Chris Guerrieri has been a teacher in Duval County for more than two decades. He said his school held a concert Wednesday, but for the first time parents had to sign a permission slip to allow their students to attend.
"There were 27 kids that had to be held back from going to this concert, which is normally an innocuous, mundane event. Twenty-seven kids had to be left out because they hadn't returned their permission slips back," Guerrieri explained.
This is part of DCPS' new Procedures for Parent Consent. A spokesperson for DCPS said this procedure was created to comply with a Florida State Board of Education rule that was passed last year.
According to this new rule, Florida school districts have to create procedures that fully inform parents of any school-sponsored events or activities. These events are outlined as an event or activity the school of enrollment created for students to study or participate in while in the custody of the school district, or field trips and extracurricular activities. Documents from the state board explained the purpose of this rule is to 'protect the fundamental rights of parents by ensuring children are not exposed to inappropriate' events.
Guerrieri shared a letter sent home to parents which said permission slips would be required for events like classroom parties, holiday celebrations, even musical performances.
He said it is hard enough getting permission slips signed for field trips, and he believes this will stop teachers from wanting to have special activities in their classrooms.
"They're really draining the fun out of school. They're draining the enthusiasm out of school, they're draining morale out of school," Guerrieri said.
Some parents appreciate this extra communication. Amanda Nobles said she wants to know what is going on in her kids' classrooms.
"It’s secure to know that the parents and the teachers agree to do whatever it is they send home for," Nobles said.
The Duval County Board of Education approved this new procedure during its regular meeting on Jan. 8, 2024. A spokesperson for the district said until additional guidance is received from the State, the district interprets school-sponsored events and activities broadly. They added permission slips should generally not be needed for required instruction or required curriculum activities.
First Coast News also reached out to teachers union, Duval Teachers United. A spokesperson said they understand the district does not want to go against the state, and they will work with the district to help streamline the process for parents.
Guerrieri hopes the district will reconsider part of this procedure.
“I think the district needs to get some clarification from the state that this is actually what the state had in mind," Guerrieri said.