Tag Archives: UNH

WARNING: Invasive Survey Coming to Keene from UNH

If you live in KEENE, make sure you read through this new survey. How can a survey claiming to be anonymous start out with specific questions that can identify the student?
There is nothing about where this information goes.
Who owns this data? What will be done with it?
They are asking the kids to incriminate themselves. Did anyone tell the students of their Constitutional right to NOT self incriminate?
Maybe it would be a good idea to require your district to inform students of their 5th Amendment rights prior to taking these kinds of surveys.

http://www.keene.k12.nh.us <–link to the school web site

http://khs-sau29-nh.schoolloop.com/file/1407475219031/1341893260211/6099193909579020548.pdf <—LINK to the survey

Keene Survey UNH

REMEMBER WHEN PARENTS IN ANDOVER, MASS. WERE ANGRY ABOUT THE LAST SEX SURVEY BY UNH?
http://www.wmur.com/news/unh-sex-survey-given-to-high-schoolers-draws-concern/38326448

Who’s Working Against Parents In NH? We Are Naming Names

This year is proving to be quite the battle for parents who want control over their local schools versus allowing the Feds to run their schools with the help from the New Hampshire Dept. of Education.

We’ve highlighted pro-parent legislation like HB206 and how Rep. Terry Wolf (R-Bedford) removed written consent from parents, in an amendment, when their children are subjected to invasive surveys on controversial issues like sexual activity, gun ownership, drugs, alcohol, etc.

We’ve highlighted how SB101 was vetoed by Governor Hassan that simply clarified that schools do not have to adopt the Common Core standards. Chairman Raffio of the New Hampshire Board of Education also ignored the voices of parents and objected to SB 101. By placing SB101 in to statute, it would have helped parents who want to direct their local schools to use superior academic standards. Here is a list of State Reps who voted against parents (voted nay)

Democrats and a few Republicans have actively worked against parents and we hope we’ve managed to point out who those legislators are.

We’d like to keep pointing out a trend among the Democrats and a few Republicans who consistently oppose parental rights in New Hampshire. We’d also like to point out that you may actually be paying the salaries of lobbyists who also actively lobby against parental rights legislation too.

Let us remind you that just a few short years ago when Governor Lynch VETOED HB542 which gave parents the right to replace objectionable material (at their expense) that was assigned to their child.

Since then a few parents have exercised their right to replace materials that were assigned to their children that they found objectionable.

The law has worked great to help parents but it has also helped the schools too. How? Often times parents have to fight to remove objectionable material from the class and/or school. Now if one parent objects, they can simply replace the material for their children and not disrupt the class if the rest of the parents are fine with the assignment.

Who stood against parents?
1) Governor Lynch
2) Bill Duncan (who was appointed to the NH Board Of Education By Gov. Maggie Hassan
3 The Nashua Telegraph
4) UNH professors
5) NH School Administrators Association (check your school budget, chances are your taxes are paying this lobbyist)
6) The NH School Boards Association (Check your school budget, chances are your taxes are paying this lobbyist)
7) Lobbyists from the NEA-NH
8) NH Dept. of Education.

It’s important to take note of the same faces/lobbyists who continue to actively work against parents in New Hampshire.

Sources:
http://nhfamiliesforeducation.org/content/hb-542-proposes-end-discrimination-public-schools

https://unh-education-department.wikispaces.com/file/view/Policy_Brief_12-01_on_+HB-542.pdf

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/opinioneditorials/947655-263/parental-rights-law-goes-too-far.html

PARENTS BE WARNED: School Districts Surveying Your Children in NH

This is a recent e-mail sent to parents in Exeter, NH.  Notice that the common theme in these form letters is that you are supposed to get excited that you were “chosen” to give the Government all kinds of personal information on your child and your family.
NOTICE:
They do NOT provide a copy of the survey
They do NOT ask your permission to survey your child.
They do NOT tell you where this information will go or how it will be used.
They do NOT tell you the privacy policy.
They do NOT tell you if this information will be sold for profit.
But you are to be “excited” about all of this.

From: “Exeter High School” <ExeterHighSchool@sau16.org>
Subject: EHS and UNH Combined Project
Date: February 13, 2015 at 8:51:02 AM EST
To: 

 

Good Morning-
Exeter High School is excited to announce that this semester we are partnering with the University of New Hampshire (UNH) to participate in a project that aims to promote healthy relationships among teens. This study is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and involves approximately 30 other schools in New England. We were selected to participate by researchers at UNH given our commitment to promoting healthy relationships amongst our students. As part of this project some students in the school (through Health and Physical Education classes) will participate in educational curriculum on healthy relationships and complete surveys related to peer behavior. Parents of students participating in this project will receive more information about the project with an opportunity to opt out of participation if needed. Faculty and staff will also receive resources and training related to this topic to better support our students. This is a significant opportunity for EHS and we think it will add greatly to all of the important work we are already doing to promote healthy relationships and overall safety throughout our school community.
Stay warm this weekend and help a neighbor in need.
Best,
Jim
James Tremblay
Principal
Exeter High School

After some digging around we did manage to find a copy of the survey so parents will know what kind of information is being collected.

EHS says it’s through UNH psych department and the CDC in Atlanta.  Remember we’ve posted information on the APA’s code of ethics when it comes to conducting these kinds of assessments on children.  Licensed Psychologists follow a strict code of ethics to make sure the individual (in this case, the parent since the children are under 18) is fully informed and consents.

How are parents fully informed if the School Administrator does not include a copy of the survey?  Administrators should do the “ethical” thing and also require parental consent.

This comes from a source who is participating in the distribution of the surveys:
Here is a detailed outline of what the survey questions ask:

-Demographic questions including gender identity, race/ethnicity, income, sexual attraction, and the age at which they first had intercourse.

-Attitude questions, specifically attitudes towards sexual assault and relationship abuse (e.g., do they think these types of behaviors are OK?, not a big deal in their school?)

-Attitudes towards being a positive bystander in situations of relationship abuse and sexual assault

-Personal experiences being a bystander in situations of relationship abuse and sexual assault

-Personal experiences with relationship abuse and sexual assault during the past year (e.g., has a dating partner physically pushed them or have they pushed a dating partner)

-Knowledge about sexual assault and relationship abuse (e.g., do they know how common it is, why it happens)

-Perceptions of other students and teachers attitudes towards teen sexual assault and relationship abuse (since we know that so much of students own attitudes and behaviors are shaped by the adults in their lives)

-Two screening questions for depression and alcohol misuse

Also, not all but some of our questions (demographics, personal experiences with relationship abuse and dating violence, depression and alcohol misuse) come from the CDC YRBS survey, which I believe Exeter High School participates in. Here is the link to that survey and you can actually download those surveys:http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/yrbs/questionnaire_rationale.htm

 All of the surveys are completely anonymous meaning we have no way to link specific answers to a specific person.

Now here is the reality that the people arranging the surveys continue to ignore:
In Bedford:

  1. Some parents received a notification, some did not.
  2. Some had no idea how bad the survey was until after they found out their kids had taken it.
  3. Parents didn’t have access to the actual survey to examine but a SAMPLE that didn’t contain the controversial questions on sex, drugs, etc.  They also had to look at it at the school.
  4. Students did put their names on it even though it says not to do so.
  5. Students thought it was a test and thought they had to take it.
  6. Kids put their unique pupil identifier number on the survey.
  7. When parents called in anger after they found out about the survey, they requested that their child’s survey be retrieved and destroyed.  School officials did that upon request proving the surveys were not anonymous.