In a striking incident in Burlington, Massachusetts, public school students were recently subjected to a survey containing sexually explicit questions, igniting a firestorm of outrage among parents. The survey, targeting high school and middle school students—some as young as 11—has left many parents fuming.
Adding fuel to the fire, parents were allegedly informed that they could opt their children out of the survey, yet it was distributed to all students, regardless of their opt-out status.
The Boston Herald reported:
Massachusetts parents ‘livid’ after schools give survey on sexual activity, gender identity to students who opted out
Local parents are expressing their anger after discovering that their children, who were supposed to be excluded from a student survey regarding sexual activity and gender identity, still received it. Complaints have been filed with the U.S. Department of Education, asserting that the district violated the “Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment” by distributing the questionnaire against parental wishes.
The controversial survey, conducted last month in Burlington Public Schools, included probing questions about sexual intercourse, sexual orientation, gender identity, sexting, encounters with sexual assault, alcohol consumption, and more.
One of the survey’s more alarming queries read: “Sexual intercourse includes vaginal sex which is when a penis goes inside of a vagina, oral sex which is contact between the mouth and genitals, anal sex which is when the penis goes inside an anus (butt), and use of toys or props (vaginal or anal). Have you ever had sexual intercourse?”
The sheer audacity of such inquiries would make even the most seasoned adult blush:
One parent, David Hanafin, expressed his disgust in an email to district officials after his middle-school child was required to take the survey despite opting out. “Asking an 11-year-old kid questions about anal or oral sex is disgusting,” Hanafin wrote. “There is no benefit to this… I was assured that my kids were opted out of these exercises for good.”
This raises an essential question: Why does the school require such intimate details regarding their students’ lives? Moreover, how do educators expect an 11-year-old to respond to such provocative questions?
Burlington Massachusetts parents should keep an eye on their children’s homework surveys! https://t.co/mDrU3dkZcR
— KelseaPark (@KELSEAAPARK) April 14, 2025
Parents have every right to be outraged. The individuals responsible for approving such a survey should face serious repercussions.
