Like 99 percent of parents in America, we are too busy, too stressed and not always too worried about who is making decisions in our school districts that concern our children.

If our children are healthy, well adjusted students with grades that don’t fluctuate too much and they aren’t pregnant, hooked on drugs and have nice friends, we have put our child’s education on cruise control and think we are managing at least one small area of this parenting gig. Oh, there are those days when our children make wrong choices or cock their head with an attitude and we wonder where we went wrong – but with a good crack of the discipline whip, they settle back into tolerable behavior and we are confident, for the moment, they aren’t ready to join a cult or become a mass murderer.
But I’m afraid it’s time to tap the brakes and disengage the cruise control. There are people making decisions involving our children’s health and education who may not share your values, and have little respect for anyone with a different opinion.

I was invited to a recent seminar on school health. This was a group of health and school professionals who gather to identify the health needs of school districts, create solutions and recommend these solutions to the schools, all while collaborating with state and local agencies to provide a healthier environment for our students to learn.

Not only are they concerned about the mental and physical health of the students, but also with the parents, and community. Reading their mission statement, it all sounded great. These were people who were dedicated enough or paid well enough to have a burden for our school environments.
As I sat in a room full of professionals, I listened to the leader explain our assignments. We divided up into groups and carefully analyzed an area of priority student health outcomes/needs for 2011-13, identified by multiple coordinated school heath teams. Apparently these are problem areas that schools need help with figuring out how to effectively administer a solution.
As my group analyzed teen pregnancy and sexual activity (lucky me!), I sat and listened to education professionals who basically wanted to take control of what teenagers were taught through sex education. Their attitude showed no respect for any parental preference or individual school board decisions, and decided if the schools weren’t teaching sex education to all the students by at least middle school, then things must change.

One woman went so far as to describe her desire to teach object lessons validating her stance by saying, “If the parents won’t teach boys this, then someone has to!”

At this point, I was nearly ready to stand up and yell, “WHOA! Back this wagon train up! You ain’t gonna teach my child any object lessons!” But instead, I looked down at the carpet and prayed for wisdom on what to say and how to say it effectively.

While I was praying, the passionate woman next to me got into a debate with the man across the table about power and control issues. I then began to wonder, what did I get myself into?

That evening, while milking cows, I thought about the seminar and just exactly what I had witnessed. While I wanted to get hung up on the goals of one influential woman, I realized this entire group was swinging a mighty big hammer with the recommendations they were gathering and administering to area school districts.

Had I not been asked to participate, I would have never known this group existed or the influence they have on our children.

The goals we provided that day will be sent to each school district with specific recommendations on how to administer the solutions to a healthier school environment. While each school board must approve these policies, I’m wondering where the parents come in, or if the parents even have a clue these policies are being considered.

The bottom line is, parents need to wake up and get involved. Our tax dollars are going to fund these seminars, activities and policies that are being made and adopted. And as farmers, a lot of your tax dollars are funding these things.
Do you even know your anti-bullying policy? Or what about the tobacco use policy? Or do you have any idea what your children are consuming on a daily basis when they walk through the lunch line? How many minutes a week do your elementary-aged children have physical education class? And do you want your teenager to be taught the methodology of “safe sex?”

Parents: Please keep parenting – if you don’t, there are plent
y of other people out there ready to “parent” your child and I guarantee you, they do not always have the best interest of your child at heart.

The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of Farm World. Readers with questions or comments for Melissa Hart may write to her in care of this publication.