Exclusive | Students quizzed on gender, sexual orientation and finances without parents consent: feds

Three California school districts are under federal investigation over allegations that students were asked invasive questions about their sexuality, gender identity and family immigration status without their parents’ knowledge or consent, The California Post can exclusively reveal.The US Department of Education‘s Student Privacy Policy Office announced investigations Friday into the North Monterey County, Palo Alto and San Francisco unified school districts.The alleged questionnaire given to students asked them to disclose personal information without their parents’ knowledge or consent, including their sexual orientation, gender identity, race, family finances and immigration status, according to complaints received by the department.The biggest news, opinion and culture shaping California right now.

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Never miss a story “Parents have a right to opt their children out of these kinds of surveys.It’s not just a question of notifying the parents; they have the right to opt them out.

That’s what we want to see,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon told the California Post Friday.“We did have specific reasons to come in to investigate in California.That’s why we announced these investigations,” she added.

The department said it will determine whether the districts violated the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment, the federal law requires schools to notify parents and get their written consent before surveying students on certain protected topics.Protected topics include political and religious beliefs, mental health, sexual behavior, illegal or self-incriminating conduct, family relationships and income under the law.The districts allegedly required students to take part in “Wheel of Power/Privilege” or “Mapping My Identities” activities as part of their ethnic studies curricula.The Post h...