Q—How do I request to inspect any vaccine-related curriculum taught in school and protect discussion of my student’s vaccination status?

A - The 1974 Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA) provides parents, guardians, and adult students the right to know what is being taught and the ability to opt their child out of some curricula in federally funded schools, whether public or private Below are some protections this law provides that parents can be proactively leveraged to determine what is being taught in the classroom.^{1 2}

• Request to Inspect Instructional Materials – Any instructional materials used as part of the curriculum, third-party surveys, and instruments designed to gather personal identifying information of students for use in marketing before distribution to the classroom; Requests are subject to reasonable timeframes to meet the request;
• Protected Information - Schools are prohibited from requiring a student to submit a survey revealing the student’s personal, religious, and political beliefs, affiliations, and practices. Schools are also prohibited from making similar inquiries about the student’s family without parental consent. This information is considered protected information;
• Annual Notifications and Ability to Opt-Out – Schools must annually notify parents and guardians and provide the ability of a student to opt out of
  • any non-emergency, invasive physical examination – including injections;
  • the gathering, disclosure, or use of student personal identifying information for marketing purposes;
  • surveys that reveal protected information noted above;
• Student Rights – Parent and guardian rights under this law transfer to students when they become adults.

PPRA is broad, covers more than the beliefs and affiliations noted above, and contains exceptions like many laws. It is important to read the law and consider obtaining legal advice in its application to your situation.

Because this law is broad, its protections also apply to many concerns some parents may hold about the spillover of cultural wars into the classroom—e.g., critical race theory, equity vs. equality, and gender identity. ^{3 4 5}

Reporting PPRA violations

Violations of PPRA are subject to time deadlines. Complaints must be filed within 180 days of the violation. To learn about filing a complaint visit the U.S. Department of Education’s Complaint form.

PPRA Protections do NOT Apply to All Schools

If the school doesn’t receive federal funds, it is not subject to PPRA, and there is specific federal funding requirements associated with PPRA. If your child attends a school not subject to PPRA, be proactive and find out what policies are in place to allow for similar rights.

Make a Plan – Ask Your School Questions and Request Inspection

Though vaccine-related lesson plans are readily available for teachers to download and teach,^{6 7 8 9 10 11} parents play an essential role in vaccine education. Parents hold the medical history of their family and children, care for them, and historically make medical decisions for their children until they reach adulthood. Parents can exercise their parental rights under PPRA to understand what is taught in their child’s classroom and clarify what they consent and do not consent to in the school their child attends.

Additionally, parents should share their vaccine perspectives, trusted resources, family medical history, and decision-making process with their children when preparing them for adulthood and making medical decisions. As parents examine vaccine instructional materials used by their school, the questions below may be helpful in determining balanced instruction.

The below information may be helpful when inspecting the curriculum. Click to download the U.S. Department of Education's guidance on parental rights under PPRA for schools subject to PPRA.

• Are lesson plans balanced and provide information on the risk of disease and the frequency and severity of their complications?
• Are risks associated with vaccines discussed?
• Is information about vaccine injury and compensation, the history of the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Compensation Act of 1986, and existing gaps in vaccine safety science discussed?
• Is the concept of public health and greater good vs the human right to informed consent and its history discussed?

NVIC’s disease and vaccine webpages are also a trusted resource that empowers objective vaccine decisions.

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