Parents say they sent letters to the Freeport School District last week saying their children would be opting out of the test, but that the district sent home a letter that told parents their children must verbally refuse to take the test when it is put in front of them.
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"If your child, under your direction, refuses to take the exam once it is placed in front of them, the proctor will mark the student as a 'refusal,' and your child will be allowed to read quietly and independently in accordance with state regulation," the letter read.
Parent Howard Colton said he wrote the same opt-out letter to the district last year, and his children did not have to verbally refuse the test. Instead, they were taken out of the classroom to read and study.
Parents say they have never received that letter from the school district in years past.
"You're now taking a child and telling them to make a decision of an adult and they don't have the capacity to do that. That in my book is blatantly illegal," said Colton.
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However, a spokesperson for the Freeport School District said the same letter has been sent home with students since 2015.
The state Department of Education said opting out is up to the parent to decide, and a spokesperson said state officials have been trying to contact the Freeport School District to clear up the confusion.