Letters 
Dear Mass News,
       I am outraged at the arrogance and ignorance of the law by liberal Massachusetts politicians, most recently as reported in the Boston Herald story linked by the Massachusetts News.
       School Committee President Deborah Peeples has no power to deny parents the right to view and take home the questionnaire. Anybody has a right to request and receive most public documents under the Massachusetts Freedom of Information Act. Ms. Peeples should be advised by the District Attorney to immediately furnish copies of the uncompleted questionnaire to The Massachusetts News and all other requesting parties.
       Does the Massachusetts News intend to ask the Worcester County District Attorney about possible prosecution of, or advisory opinion to Ms. Peeples?

Mike Thayer, Weymouth

Editor's Note: We share your outrage, however the Massachusetts' Parental Consent Law is particularly weak. If there is to be sexually explicit material in any course, the school is required to notify parents in advance, however, Section 32A is clear that the school can require that the parent has to come to review it at the school, and only at certain hours. Needless to say, in many two-income families or single-parent families, it may be difficult or impossible to get to the school during the allotted hours, which will surely be scheduled to the school's convenience, not the parents.
In order to exempt one's child from a class, a parent must respond in writing to the principal to opt-out. This is where we have it backwards. The requirement should be that there is written notification from a parent or guardian to to opt a child in to a sex-ed class, or before they take such a survey. This is position of the father, Mark Fisher. However, we need to change the parental consent law in order to give teeth to his complaint.