Parents have the right to withhold consent for their children to participate in all or part of a reproductive health and safety program or other program about sexually transmitted diseases or avoiding out-of-wedlock pregnancy.  If you wish for your child to opt-out from participating in all or part of any such program, contact your child’s principal and identify the portion(s) of the program for which you are withdrawing consent. More information can be found in Board Policy 5120 and R&P 5120 .

A parent’s right to request an exemption to a required immunization is governed by G.S. 130A-156 (for medical exemptions) and G.S. 130A-157 (religious exemption). Information about state immunization requirements for all North Carolina public school students may be found here. Information about medical and religious exemptions can be found on the DHHS website .

Only medical and religious exemptions will be provided. There is no right to opt out of school immunizations required by state law based on non-religious personal or philosophical beliefs.  Parents seeking a medical exemption from immunization requirements should have a physician licensed to practice in North Carolina complete the required Medical Exemption Form for submission to the State Health Director.  Parents seeking a religious exemption should provide a written statement to the school principal, including the name and date of birth of the student(s), the specific immunization(s) for which an exemption is requested, and any other relevant information.

This information is accessible by visiting the North Carolina School Report Cards website.

Academically and/or intellectually gifted: For information about the district’s Academically or Intellectually Gifted (AIG) services, including screening and referral procedures, see www.wcpss.net/advancedlearning and Board Policy 3422. To request an AIG evaluation for your child, contact your school’s AIG contact or principal. 

Students with disabilities: Parents of children aged two years old or younger who may be in need of special education services should contact the Children’s Development Services Agency at 919-662-4600. Parents of children aged three or older who are not yet eligible to enter kindergarten should call the WCPSS Child Find Office at 919-431-7700 or child-find-office@wcpss.net. Parents of children in kindergarten through 12th grade should contact their child’s school. Parents may also contact the district Family and Community Connections at 919-431-7334 (Spanish line: 919-431-7143) or email facc@wcpss.net.  

Complete this form to request to inspect or purchase textbooks and other instructional materials. Once you submit your request, your child's principal or another school staff member will reach out to you to provide next steps.

In some cases, schools may be able to provide parents with paper or electronic copies of certain supplemental instructional materials to inspect at home.  In other cases (as with most copyrighted materials), materials will be made available for in-person inspection only.  As a general matter, requests to inspect school library materials will be fulfilled by informing parents of hours during which they may browse the library stacks. 

Information about the Board’s promotion and retention procedures is available in Board Policy 3420. Information about the Board’s graduation requirements is available in Board Policy 3460. 

Additional relevant information for middle and high school students may be obtained from the WCPSS Middle School or High School Program Planning Guides.

Report cards reflecting grades and attendance are issued every quarter. Review the school calendar for the dates when each quarter ends. Grade and attendance information is available in PowerSchool[NR16] . Parents may access their children’s grade and attendance information in PowerSchool by visiting the PowerSchool/Homebase parent portal and entering their login credentials. Parents may access information about how to create or change their PowerSchool login credentials here.  Questions related to parents’ PowerSchool access not addressed at this link may be directed to the school data manager. Contact your principal for a copy of your child’s disciplinary records.  More information can be found in Board Policy 3400 and on the WCPSS Report Card webpage.

The State Board of Education and Department of Public Instruction have posted extensive information relating to the State public education system on their websites, including but not limited to policies and information related to State standards, report card requirements, attendance requirements, and textbook requirements. Those websites may be accessed here and here.  

Information on the Standard Course of Study that all public school districts must follow is available here.   

The general statutes governing elementary and secondary education in North Carolina may be accessed here.  

In addition to these resources on the statewide public education system, parents may access extensive information about the Wake County Public System via the school system website.  In particular, the following information may be of interest:

• WCPSS Attendance Website

• Policy 4400 Attendance

• 4400 RP Attendance

• Policy 3200 Selection of Instructional Resources

Parent-teacher organizations are independent organizations that work with schools but are not under the direct management or supervision of the school system. Contact your principal for information about parent organizations affiliated with your school. More information can be found in Board Policy 5010 .  

Parent-teacher organizations are also referenced in the parent and family involvement policy, Policy 2541, which is available here.  

Additional information about parent-teacher organizations in Wake County, including bylaws, membership information, parent resources, and contact information for questions, may be accessed here.  (Please note that this is an external link, and WCPSS is not responsible for its content.)

See Right #11, below.

Students under age 18 who have not been legally emancipated may not be given any survey that asks about “protected information” unless their parents have first provided written or electronic consent. 

A “protected information” survey is one that asks about one or more of the following: 

• political affiliations or beliefs of the student or the student’s parent
• mental or psychological problems of the student or the student’s family;
• sex behavior or attitudes;
• illegal, anti-social, self-incriminating, or demeaning behavior;
• critical appraisals of other individuals with whom respondents have close family relationships;
• legally recognized privileged or analogous relationships, such as those of lawyers, physicians, and ministers;
• religious practices, affiliations, or beliefs of the student or student’s parent; or
• income (other than that required by law to determine eligibility for participation in a program or for receiving financial assistance under such program).

At least ten days before the administration of a protected topic survey, parents and eligible students (students who are 18 years of age or older or who are emancipated minors) will be provided the opportunity to review both electronically and in person the process for providing consent to participate in the protected topic survey and the full text of the protected topic survey. 

Additionally, students in kindergarten through grade three may not be given any “student well-being questionnaire” or “health screening form” without prior parental consent.  Schools must notify parents in advance before any such questionnaire or form is shared with students in these grades, along with an explanation of how the parent may give or withhold consent.

More information is available in Board Policy 4720.

A parent may review the list of materials their child has currently borrowed from the library online. Instructions are available in English and Spanish. Parents may also review a list of all materials their child has borrowed from the school library within the past 12 months by contacting the school librarian. For other questions about your child’s school library, contact your child’s principal.