SURVEY SCRUTINY: NEARBY SCHOOL DISTRICT IN THE SPOTLIGHT FOR POTENTIAL VIOLATIONS. COULD ROCKWOOD BE NEXT?
The issue is whether privacy rights were violated when Webster Groves schools had students take various surveys.
When you click on "I Side With...." one of the surveys at issue, these are some of the questions, as seen in the first image:
"What is your stance on abortion?" And, "Do you support the legalization of same sex marriage?"
This is the letter written by the legal group, on behalf of concerned parents in that district.
A link that shows additional survey questions, some to kids as young as 4 years old in Webster Groves, is below.
IN ROCKWOOD
Parents in the Rockwood School District have also expressed concerns about the nature of survey questions, both in class assignments and not.
You can see all three below.
POLITICAL TYPOLOGY
A "political typology quiz" survey was given to 8th graders during the 2020-2021 school year during an American History class at Rockwood South Middle School.
The questions asked which statement comes closest to your view:
"In politics today, do you consider yourself a Republican, Democrat, or independent?"
Questions also included whether homosexuality should be accepted by society, and whether racism is the reason many Black people can't get ahead these days.
…I’m not sure why it's ok for an adult to ask my child about their sexual orientation, especially in a public school. …Meanwhile my son's reading score went down.”
—Marquette parent
VIOLATION?
Religion, political affiliation/beliefs and attitudes about sexual behavior are topics that are generally off limits with students, according to federal privacy rules found in the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment, or PPRA.
In the Webster Groves district case, investigators will look at whether the schools violated those rules.
It is unclear if there was any violation of PPRA in Rockwood, either, but the topics found in assignments and surveys do raise a red flag.
WEBSTER GROVES