ROY, Utah, Sept. 11, 2017 (Gephardt Daily) — The Weber School District is apologizing after an Adult Roles course at Roy High School asked junior-level students to disclose information about their “sexually explicit activities” and “delinquent behavior.”
The Weber School District on Monday released an unsigned statement that said the situation “… was recently brought to our attention,” and that questioning children on such matters without their parents’ permission is illegal.
“While the course itself contains instruction in human sexuality to which parents
consented, the survey that was distributed to students elicited information about
sexually explicit activities and delinquent behavior, and parental consent was not
obtained for this particular set of questions, as is required by state and federal law,” the statement says.
“This matter is being taken very seriously and the teacher has been placed on
administrative leave while the situation is being investigated.”
The Weber School District said such questions violate:
- The Pupil Rights Amendment
- The Family Education Right to Privacy Act
- Utah state law that “prohibits surveys that elicit information about a student’s sexual behaviors, orientation, attitudes, and involvement in any illegal or incriminating behavior (20 U.S.C. §1232h, Utah 53A-13- 302
- Utah State Board Rule R277-515 (Utah Educator Professional Standards)
- And district policy (Policy 7900) (which) expects teachers to use professional judgment and discretion in providing age-appropriate material to students
The statement says the district and school want to apologize:
“Officials from Weber School District and Roy High School want to extend our sincere
apology to the students who were asked to complete this questionnaire, as well as
their parents and we assure you this survey will not be used in the future.
“Our district takes great pride in providing quality education to over 31,000 students in Weber County. Although we strive for a standard of perfection in teaching,
occasionally mistakes are made. In such cases, it will be dealt with appropriately,
always with the best interests of our students in mind.”
