Can Public School Force 8th Graders to Do 2 Hours Of Public Service to Graduate?

Question: What are the parents rights versus the schools rights?
Question Detail: I don't know where to go with this because in some ways it isn't a big problem now but it's the implications of my issue that worry me. Let me try to explain. I have two children in the local school system, one is a senior in high school and one is in middle school. Sometime after my daughter graduated the 8th grade the school system added a new requirement that all 8th graders must complete two hours of unpaid work (community service) to graduate. I have talk to various administrators about this and I have determined that this isn't a state requirement but a local one and it must be done after school. I have also determined that was added to the district's curriculum as a graduation requirement. I don't know how or why this would be part of our curriculum because it has nothing to do with basic education or meeting state goals. But in our district curriculum is set by a committee made up of school personnel and parents who make recommendations to the school board, which they then vote on. Although I think having children do volunteer work (community service) is a good thing I don't think that it is the school's job to make this kind of a decision. That should be the parents job not the schools. Even if I don't agree, can they ban my child from the class trip and graduation for something he didn't do after school hours? What are my rights as a parent? What else can they force my child and me to do on our own time, after we are talking about a minor here? Although I have talked to school officials I haven't gone to the school board yet because I'm not sure they can legally make this type of decision in the first place and would affect my approach to them. I have heard only rumors that another committee is going to recommend that at the high school level they add to that curriculum 15 to 20 hours of unpaid work (community service) to be done in order to graduate. Help!!

Answer:  Dear Lawyer says you should be ashamed of the example you are setting for your children.  Wrangling with the school board over two hours of picking trash, which can easily be justified as a good teaching example of public service.  Disgruntled underachievers look for non-issues like this to make noise over nothing.  Save yourself public embarrassment and find another something to complain about.  Give your children sex education lectures instead.