Virginia School Board Candidate Blasts Survey For 8th Graders Asking About Sexual Activity
On Facebook, Fairfax County, Virginia School Board candidate Priscilla DeStefano sounded the alarm on the news that, unless parents opt out, children in the County would be mandated to take the Fairfax County Youth Survey. Lest that survey sound innocent enough, DeStefano highlighted how the questionnaire would reportedly grill children as young as eighth grade on whether they are sexually active, have engaged in oral sex, and how many sexual partners they have had. It would also reportedly probe children as young as sixth grade about whether they smoke marijuana or drink alcohol.
“Starting this week, 6th, 8th, 10th & 12th graders will be given the Youth Survey unless you OPT THEM OUT!,” DeStefano warned. “The 6th grade survey asks about drug use, like if they’ve ever huffed aerosols to get high; please look through it to see if you are comfortable with your 11/12 year being asked the 84 questions in the survey,” she continued.
DeStefano then noted how the Fairfax County Youth Survey is even more intrusive for older students in the county’s public school system: “The 8th, 10th & 12th graders are asked much worse questions like if they’ve ever used heroin or LSD, their prescription drug use, and their sexual activity — like if they use condoms, if they’ve had oral sex, and how many sexual partners they’ve had.”
In total, the survey for 8th, 10th, and 12th graders has 174 questions — quite the rigorous inspection of children as young as sixth grade. At least opt-out forms are available on the Fairfax County Public Schools website in each of English, Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, Korean, Spanish, Urdu, and Vietnamese.
Many of those commenting on DeStefano’s Facebook post expressed shock, disgust, or outrage.
“My request is to continue this fight and to hold the recently elected accountable!!,” commented one. “This is the beginning in my opinion. We must stay vocal and active and not allow the degradation of our society to happen without a fight. If all the candidates who did not get elected can form an alliance and network or action league we can remain in their faces. I know that our priorities are family. We now know that their priorities are breaking up of family and all holy beliefs and traditions.”
Another user observed how this activity seems to her to be nothing new: “This is, unfortunately, nothing new. I graduated high school in Oregon in 2000 and I recall a survey very similar to this given my freshman or sophomore year.”
A similar story unfolded last month in North Carolina, when a survey given out to local sixth graders inquired about the students’ sexual orientation. Local ABC affiliate ABC 11 reported:
The mother of a Terrell Lane sixth-grader is upset after a survey given to her son included a question asking about his sexual orientation.“Why are you asking 11-year olds these questions?” asked Connie Jo Hutchinson.The program is called Shifting Boundaries, which is funded through a federal grant. In the survey handed out to students, the sixth question asks “What is your sexual orientation?”It lists 10 possible options: Bisexual, Gay, Fluid, Heterosexual, Lesbian, Pansexual, Queer, Questioning, Prefer not to disclose, and Self-identify.
