Feds say inappropriate school survey violated parents’ rights

Investigators with the Department of Education concluded that a northeastern Massachusetts school district violated federal law by requiring students to take a survey containing sexually explicit questions. The district violated the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment by ignoring parental requests to opt students out of taking the survey, according to a Wednesday news release from the department.

Burlington Public Schools came under investigation last August for issuing a mandatory survey to middle- and high-school-age students with questions regarding sexuality and substance use. Schools required students as young as seventh grade to answer questions about their sex or so-called gender identity, their sexual activity, and their use of drugs or alcohol. The survey explicitly described sex acts before asking children if they had performed any such acts. It also questioned students whether they had either sent or received sexual messages or nude photos.

Education Secretary Linda McMahon characterized Burlington’s actions as inexcusable. Parents have the final say in their children’s lives, and the Trump administration will not stand idly by, she added. The Education Department vowed to hold the district accountable and enforce parental rights, according to a separate Wednesday statement.

Investigators proposed several actions to resolve the violation, including sending apology letters, with copies of the survey, to the families who filed complaints. The district could also submit all future surveys with sensitive questions to federal education officials for review, according to the department’s proposal.

How has the district responded? Burlington administrators received investigators’ findings on Wednesday, according to a Thursday statement from District Superintendent Eric Conti. District leaders planned to review the report along with the proposed resolution issues, then promptly respond to federal officials, Conti said. The district no longer held a contract with the outside vendor responsible for the survey, Conti said.

WORLD reached out to the Massachusetts Department of Education for comment and did not receive a timely response.