PARENTS RESIST SCHOOL INTRUSION ON KID'S LIFE

Dustin Worth admits to having a libertarian lean.

"I'm only registered Republican because the third party is not an
electable option," says Dustin, 38.

The less government intrusion, the better for him.

Dustin and wife, Sandra, who live in Lehigh Acres, maintain the same
philosophy about the Lee County School District.

Educate our children, but refrain from asking unnecessary and
personal questions that are none of the district's business.

"We are fed up with government schools dictating to parents as to how
they decide what's best for our children," says Sandra Worth, 42.

The Worths bumped heads with the district in September when their
son, Alec, a sixth-grader at Oak Hammock Middle in Fort Myers, was
not allowed to take his class picture for the school yearbook.

When Dustin signed off on a release of the directory information code
of conduct for students grades 6-12, he took one exception, drawing a
line through the last sentence.

The sentence is new to the release this year, according to district
spokesman Joe Donzelli.

It reads: Permission is also given to allow my child to participate
in anonymous surveys involving the use of tobacco, alcohol and other
drugs.

The Worths want to know why the district needs to survey students
about smoking, drinking and drugging.

Dustin sent a letter to Principal Clayton Simmons on Sept. 25, asking
Alec's picture be taken on makeup day. His attorney sent an Oct. 14
letter to Simmons and staff attorney Robert Dodig with a similar
request. Both were denied.

Dustin says Dodig told him the sentence was included in the paragraph
to make sure the information fit on one page.

Dustin believes the information should be broken into three parts,
allowing three decisions.

"I definitely understand the family's point of view," Donzelli says.
"But the beauty of dealing with the school district is nothing is
written in stone.

"We review our policies. That part is an addition this year. We could
have come to an amicable agreement."

Amicable is not an adjective I would use to describe
Sandra.

"I find it very difficult to believe that they didn't deliberately
put the statement in the same paragraph, knowing that most parents
would simply sign, thinking they were giving permission for the
picture and media release," she says.

Sandra reluctantly signed the form, and Alec took his picture Oct.
29, but the Worths were not one, big happy family.

School board member Bob Chilmonik says the district didn't try to
sneak the survey sentence past parents.

"The board approved that, but to hold back a photograph is wrong," he
says. "We should offer an out for parents who want to sign and agree
to everything else."

While Chilmonik understands the Worths' chagrin, he defends use of
anonymous surveys as a valuable tool.

"We find out how good or bad our drug problem is in Lee County," he
says. "I support the information we're getting because it helps
students with alcoholic and drug problems."

Dustin asks if surveys are used to garner additional funding for the
district.

"That is not even in the conversation," Donzelli says. "We're just
trying to gather data."

Donzelli says various organizations use anonymous information to
determine programs and policies.

"If we have students admitting to use of drugs and alcohol, we're on
the right path to helping them," he says. "I think the key to that is
'anonymous.'

"I don't see how that would be detrimental to the operation of the
school. We want to reduce the number of children using alcohol and
tobacco before the legal age."

But the Worths believe asking questions about tobacco, alcohol and
drug use is a violation of student and parental rights.

"You either let them do whatever they want with your child, meaning
your right as a parent stops at the school door, or you say no,"
Dustin says. "The pendulum's swung too far. There is no common sense.
It's like the school's zero tolerance rule."

Sandra says the district needs to educate children and let parents
raise them. She wants other parents to know what is going on within
the district.

"Questions about tobacco, alcohol and drugs should be discussed at
the dinner table at the children's own level and pace," she says. "We
don't want to create a glass bubble, but we need to take back our
parental rights on what is taught to kids other than basic
academics."