(The Center Square) – Middle schoolers at a public school in Massachusetts will be asked about gender identity, sexual orientation, suicide and other sensitive topics as well as climate change on an upcoming anonymous health survey of over 100 questions.
Senior director of communications at Defending Education Erika Sanzi told The Center Square that “these survey questions are obviously inappropriate for 11- and 12-year-olds.”
Defending Education is an organization dedicated to restoring “schools at all levels from activists imposing harmful agendas,” according to its website.
Sanzi said that “everyone draws their line in the sand in a different place,” when it comes to questions like those Massachusetts’ Medfield Public Schools is putting on its students at Thomas A. Blake Middle School.
“But in my opinion as a former educator and mom of three, asking all students (including those with zero history of mental health problems) about suicide plans is indefensible and forces students to think about a disturbing topic that may have never crossed their mind before,” Sanzi said.
“Especially considering they’re 11- and 12-year-olds!” Sanzi added.
For reference, the 112-question survey has a section that describes suicide and suicidal feelings to students, asking a series of questions including “have you ever made a plan about how you would attempt suicide?” according to a copy of the survey obtained by Defending Education.
Sanzi told The Center Square that “since these surveys are anonymous, this survey doesn’t help the child who is struggling. This is data collection.”
“My opinion is the same as it relates to sexual identity, gender identity and climate change – why make the default for every kid that they have to think about and answer questions about these mature topics that have become hyper-political and ideological?” Sanzi said. “It’s not appropriate.”
Medfield’s middle schoolers encountering the survey will be asked questions such as “what sex were you assigned at birth?” and “which of the following best describes your gender?”, the latter question including choices of girl, boy, non-binary or gender-queer, and more, according to Defending Education
Another question states “some people describe themselves as transgender when their sex at birth does not match the way they think or feel about their gender,” and asks the 11-13-year-olds “are you transgender?”
Students are also asked to describe themselves as heterosexual, gay or lesbian, and bisexual, among other options.
On the climate change section of the survey, students are asked if they have “taken any actions to help reduce the effects of climate change?”
Sanzi told The Center Square that “to the school’s credit, they provided a copy of the survey to all parents in advance.”
“Parents can opt out as in the email the principal states clearly – this is their right under federal law,” Sanzi said. “They also have a right to review the survey in advance and in this case, the school made that very easy by sending it to every parent.”
“It would be better, however, if they would just stop asking these intrusive and ideology-based questions,” Sanzi said.
According to the letter the middle school’s principal Nathaniel Vaughn sent to families, parents were told not to share the survey with anyone as to not “influence how students respond.”
When reached, Principal Vaughn referred The Center Square to Medfield Public Schools Superintendent Jeffrey J. Marsden.
Marsden told The Center Square that “the Medfield Public Schools has participated in the MetroWest Adolescent Health Survey since 2006.”
Marsden said the survey “provides districts with critical data about the needs, attitudes, and behaviors of our adolescent students, so that we can effectively plan programming, determine staffing needs, pursue grant funding, and ensure we are providing appropriate support for students.”
“This survey is administered every two years to more than 40,000 students in grades 6–12 across 25 school districts in the MetroWest region of Massachusetts,” Marsden said.
Marsden also noted that “parents are provided the opportunity to review the survey in advance and may opt their child out if they choose.”
Sanzi told The Center Square that parents should know “some surveys administered in school are not ‘school surveys.’ They are state or regional surveys about youth behavior and health, and the schools are the vehicle for administering the survey,” Sanzi said.
“Other surveys are given by the school district – they have contracts with third party vendors who provide surveys and help with administration of the survey, data collection etc,” Sanzi said.
“It is very common for school districts, counties and even states to have contracts that include an annual survey for students (and often there is one for parents too),” Sanzi said.
“Most of these surveys do include questions about these sensitive topics but the questions do vary based on what the client (the school district or state department of education) asks for,” Sanzi said.
“So the same vendor provides different surveys to different school districts and one big area of variation is the inclusion and number of questions about sexual orientation and gender identity,” Sanzi said.
