The parent of a student enrolled at the Godley Independent School District has flagged a required form for infringing on their freedom of speech.

Sarah Fields posted a screenshot of an acknowledgment form that popped up while going through the student registration process online.

The form includes several “best practices” related to social media that parents are asked to sign off on, including the following:

“If I have an issue with something at school. I will not immediately post to social media,” the form states. “I will first contact the teacher or administrator to understand the full situation and understand all facts.”

“I will not post negative comments about other parents, other people’s children, or school personnel without first having a conversation with the administrator,” it continues.

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“You can’t move on to the next page in the registration process unless you sign this & give up your 1A rights,” Fields noted.

Godley ISD Chief Communications Officer Jeff Meador explained to The Dallas Express that the document only suggests to parents how they should go about addressing any problems encountered during the school year.

“With this back to school registration document, the school district is only seeking to inform parents and families about the best practices of handling issues of concern as well as reporting security incidents. Completion of the document is only acknowledging that the parent or guardian has read or had an opportunity to read the guidelines. They do not have to agree with its contents,” Meador wrote in an email.

These guidelines include warnings about the circulation of “misinformation” and deep fakes on social media, as well as the risks of cyberbullying and child predation online.

“Social media posts also can have a negative impact on the mental health of individuals, including parents and students,” the form states.

“I do understand that human trafficking uses social media to find victims. … I will not post detailed information about someone else’s student online,” it continues.

Nevertheless, the form has drawn ire on social media.

“You know that your school has a problem when you have to force parents to sign something like this,” Fields wrote.

This would not be the first time that Godley ISD has faced scrutiny.

As previously reported by The Dallas Express, last year, whistleblowers revealed that a convicted prostitute passed a Godley ISD background check. Ashley Ketcherside, a Godley ISD parent, served as an active member of several committees despite having a criminal history of prostitution. The district’s background check apparently did not return records of her two misdemeanor convictions for selling sex in 2012 and 2016.

Godley ISD has also struggled with its student achievement results, much like Dallas ISD, the second-largest district in the state.

Comparing the latest available accountability reports from the Texas Education Agency for both districts, just 39% of Godley ISD students and 41% of Dallas ISD students scored at grade level or above on their STAAR exams in the 2021-2022 school year. This is below the statewide average of 48%.

Meanwhile, almost 20% of Dallas ISD’s graduating Class of 2022 did not earn a diploma in four years.

Student achievement has been a longstanding concern in the district. The latest accountability report from the Texas Education Agency shows that just 41% of Dallas ISD students scored at grade level or above on their STAAR exams in the 2021-2022 school year, compared to the statewide average of 48%.

Godley ISD fared better than the statewide average in terms of its on-time graduation rate, with 98.6% of students graduating in 2022 doing so within four years. Meanwhile, almost 20% of Dallas ISD’s graduating seniors did not earn a diploma on time.