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The Webster Grove School District (WGSD) in Missouri sent a letter to parents earlier this month notifying them about surveys that will be administered to students.
The surveys have been surrounded in controversy as some parents and outside groups have alleged the surveys collect personal information on students without the consent from their parents. This has prompted the Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, R., to launch an investigation into several school districts with Webster Grove being one of the school districts involved in the probe.
"In continuation of our efforts to support the academic and personal well-being of each WGSD student, district surveys will be administered to students in grades 3-12, families, and staff. Surveys will solicit participants' perspectives about learning strategies, culture and climate, and experiences in the classroom adan/or school," the school district's letter to parents stated.
"The surveys will allow for students, families, and staff to offer feedback specifically about school safety, their sense of belonging, teacher-student relationships, cultural awareness and diversity and inclusion."
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt speaks to reporters in front of the Supreme Court of the United States on Tuesday, April 26, 2022 in Washington, DC. ((Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images))
Earlier this year, the Southeastern Legal Foundation, a conservative legal group, called on Schmitt, to investigate WGSD into whether the school district was violating the privacy rights of students and their families by having students fill out surveys that include questions about their sexual orientation and the political beliefs of their parents. A spokesperson for the school district at the time said that the surveys were voluntarily and parents are able to review the questions.
In a Tuesday press release, the Southeastern Legal Foundation encouraged parents to learn about their "right to opt-out of student surveys that illegally obtain sensitive information about their children. These surveys collect data about students’ sexual behavior and attitudes, political beliefs, mental health status, and even the beliefs and mental health status of students’ family members and friends."
However, amid the state attorney general's investigation, WGSD sent a letter to parents explicitly outlying the surveys students will take this year and the opt-out option available.
"Parents and guardians will be able to complete a brief online opt-out form to exclude their child from participating in each of the district's Culture and Climate surveys for the 2022-23 school year. The opt-out form will only need to be complete once per school year," the letter stated.
"The form will be available the week of September 5 and will need to be completed by 11:59 p.m. on September 23. Given the length of the survey, students have opted-out will be given the opportunity to do other tasks (homework, study, reading on their own) during the brief period of time surveys are being completed."
The letter also stated that parents will be able to review the surveys by September 9.
Student-Created Survey on Sex Behaviors and Attitudes (Fox News)
The Southeaster Legal Foundation encouraged parents to know about their opt-out rights.
"We are very pleased that in response to our brave clients speaking up, requesting an investigation into illegal student surveys, and demanding the chance to opt their children out, that the Missouri Attorney General launched an investigation and the school district provided parents notice and opt-out details. This proves that parents can make a difference," Kimberly Hermann, general counsel for the Southeastern Legal Foundation, told Fox News Digital.
WGSD told Fox News Digital back in May that it signed a $19,000 contract with Panorama Education, Inc. for the upcoming school year. It is unclear if they are involved in the surveys the school notified parents about. Panorama told Fox News Digital in a statement that schools decided what content is included in surveys and that
"Panorama’s survey technology and research-backed survey templates are designed to help students succeed. Our recommended survey questions do not ask about students’—or their families’—personal and private attitudes, values, beliefs, or practices. We also do not provide curriculum to students," the statement stated. "Local school districts know best which of our tools, offerings, and survey questions are right for their communities. Local school districts decide what works best for their students, including when and how they administer surveys and then separately what curriculum or programming is needed to support areas of improvement."
The company also addressed Schmitt's probe into the surveys.
"Attorney General Schmitt is interested in transparency. So are we. We are completely transparent about our work with school districts and that’s why our surveys are posted on the Panorama website for anyone to review or download. All of our student, family and education staff surveys have been public from launch and are available as open-source resources for any educator to use. The more people who are engaged with and participate in the process, the better," the statement continued. "The surveys are used in districts to get a clear, visible, transparent sense of how students, staff, and families are feeling, and how the district is doing. The surveys enable two-way transparent communication: 1. transparency of district priorities and progress to the community and 2. transparency of parents’ and families’ perspectives and feedback to the district."
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Fox News Digital reached out to WGSD on whether this letter was in response to the investigation and if a third party like Panorama will be helping administer the surveys but did not receive a response.
The post was updated with a statement from Panorama.