TRI In The News
Middle Schoolers Forced to Take Sex Survey Without Parent's Consent
6/17/2011
TRI IN THE NEWS: MIDDLE SCHOOLERS FORCED TO TAKE SEX SURVEY WITHOUT PARENT'S CONSENT
From examiner.com
Original article available here.
A mother from Massachusetts is going after the Department of Education after they forced her two daughters to fill out a questionnaire regarding oral sex and other risky sexual behaviors.
Arlene Tessitore's two daughters were attending Memorial Middle School when given the Youth Risk Behavior Study, reports Fox News. Tessitore hired a civil liberties union, The Rutherford Institute, to file a complaint against the US Department of Education.
"One of the questions is, 'have you ever had oral sex,'" said John Whitehead of the Rutherford Institute. "You're talking about kids who probably don't even know what oral sex is."
Another difficult question for the kids was, "Have you ever tried to kill yourself?"
Tessitore recently told Fox news more about the questionnaire, at one point saying some of the questions were too graphic to mention on the air.
The study asked the 7th and 8th graders, "How many people they have had sex with?" and other graphic questions regarding condom use and withdrawal.
The parents are upset about the study, and Tessitore is upset that she was never given a "permission slip" asking if her daughters could take the survey.
According to Whitehead, the "permission slip" is required under Federal law, but many schools use a "passive consent," which is often overlooked by parents.
The school's Principal, Fran Thomas, said the test was not written by the public school system. Thomas said the survey was funded by a federal grant and administered by a local social services agency, LUK Inc. Luk was working in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and administered the test the local schools.
Here is LUK, Inc mission statement, from their website:
To challenge and support youth & families to recognize and fulfill their unique and productive potential through community-based prevention, intervention and education services.
"If you can't put it on a t.v. screen because you're afraid you're going to offend viewers then imagine a 7th and 8th grader," said Tessitore.
