The outrage is not going to stop and there is talk of lawsuits — violation of privacy, sexual harassment, and violation of gun laws, are some of the greivances mentioned and lawyers are being sought according to our sources and the fact that our phone has been ringing off the hook with inquiries about same.
On parent who is particularly irate posted this under a recent Union Leader article Survey authors defend questioning Bedford middle school students about their sex lives:
“The claim of an opt-out is laughable. My daughter was informed that even though she could skip questions, that without a parental signature, she would have to take the survey. This is not opt-out. In addition to this, there is a federal law that requires that tests containing sexual content to require written PERMISSION from parents in order for the child to be required to take a survey; in other words even the law requires opt-in by the parents. The law also requires that parents be notified and given the chance to review the survey. The school system did not seek written permission, and even lied to parents about the content of these surveys. While Tim Mayes can call it an “oversight” all he wants, it’s very clear that the letter authored by Ed Joyce was designed to intentionally mislead parents by passing the test off as a “decision making” survey. The school went to great lengths to disguise the test as an innocuous “don’t do drugs” survey to parents. When one parent attempted to get a copy of the survey under “Right to Know”, she was sent a copy missing nearly 100 questions – all just happened to be the explicit ones. The authors of the survey can say whatever they want, but the mere fact that their contractual relationship with the school made it impossible for parents to obtain a complete copy of their survey due to bogus “copyright” restrictions – even after the fact – shows just what kind of company our school system is dealing with. Parents have a right to know what is being put in front of their kids, and not lied to. Given the gross violation of the school system’s ethical obligations to adequately notify parents, as well as obtain parental consent, it does not surprise me that these same guys would choose such a shady company to deal with. An expert on Fox Boston was interviewed last night and had some serious questions about whether these questions were even appropriate for high schoolers, let alone middle schoolers. Our school board has once again failed to deliver on honesty, straight-forwardness, and ethics. I don’t know why Bedford parents tolerate this, maybe everyone else is too busy polishing their BMWs. But I’m pulling my kids out of this corrupt school system next year.”
The UL article is quoted as saying “Bedford School Board Chair Terry Wolf said some changes in the school district’s administration of the survey, which has been used for more than a decade, may have been responsible for some parents being caught off guard by the test.”
Wolf is contemplating running for NH State Representative. Will she go to Concord to continue to defend programs over which for years she has presided, such as the UN’s IB, Common Core, and now this survey as well as other questionable materials inmposed on the children of Bedford?
Audio: Girard at Large