Appellate Practice Attorney serving New York, NY
Without knowing more about it, I don't know whether the perfect parents contract is a binding legal agreement or not. It sounds like one of those "contracts" where a student agrees to call their parents for a ride if they drink, and the parents agree not to hassle the kid about it.
If it is a real contract, however, your husband, unless you're estranged, would generally be considered to have the apparent authority to bind you to it, unless the dance center had reason to know that you objected. If, as you indicate, the dance center sought your individual signature on the contract and you did not sign, it knows that you do not agree, and you should not be bound. However, even without any kind of contract, when one parent says one thing regarding their child, and the other says something else, I don't think the dance center is bound to follow one over the other (unless a court has given on parent custody or control over these decisions.)
Incidentally, the first amendment only protects you from government interference with your freedom of speech. With one exception (prohibiting slavery) the U.S. Constitution does not deal with the actions of private citizens. Moreover, the Constitution would not prevent a contract by which you gave up or limited any rights you might have. For example, many people sign non-disclosure agreements prohibiting them from disclosing informaiton about their employers.
Answered on Aug 28th, 2014 at 12:14 PM