Massachusetts school district faces Trump admin investigation over 'graphic… inappropriate' student survey

Rick Sobey, Boston Herald on Aug 25, 2025

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A local school district is facing a federal investigation for a “graphic” and “inappropriate” survey that was allegedly given to students as young as 11 years old against their parents’ wishes.

The U.S. Department of Education has launched an investigation into Burlington Public Schools for allegedly failing to comply with parents’ written requests to opt their children out of a survey that asked questions about sexual activity and gender identity.

According to the Trump administration, the district may have violated parents’ rights under the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment — which allows parents to recuse their children from participating in certain school surveys.

The controversial questionnaire earlier this year was given to both middle and high school students in Burlington Public Schools. The survey had questions about: sexual intercourse, sexual orientation, gender identity, sexting, experiences with sexual assault, alcohol use, and more.

Burlington parents filed complaints with the Department of Education in the wake of the survey.

“Parents must be the primary decision-makers in their children’s education,” U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in a statement. “The allegations that Burlington violated parents’ rights by administering a survey against parents’ wishes – and particularly one that is graphic, and downright inappropriate in nature – is unconscionable.

“The Department will investigate this matter thoroughly and continue to resolutely defend parents’ rights,” the education secretary added.

Students whose parents had opted them out of the “Youth Risk Behavior Survey” were still required to take the survey, leading to outraged parents filing complaints with the feds.

“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?” reads one of the survey questions to the middle and high schoolers.

The Massachusetts Liberty Legal Center submitted the complaints to the Department of Education’s Student Privacy Policy Office on behalf of parents whose children were forced to take the survey after their opt-out requests.

“This massive violation of parental rights and the innocence of minor children was also a violation of the federal Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment, and we applaud the DOE for taking this step to hold Burlington Public Schools accountable,” the Massachusetts Family Institute wrote on Monday. “We anticipate that the investigation will ultimately conclude that Burlington violated federal law and that the DOE will require the school district to take swift corrective action.”

The district earlier this year said it was in the process of responding to the Department of Education complaints, according to the Burlington superintendent.

“The school committee has voted to stop all student surveys until the committee develops a more comprehensive policy on their purpose, and if approved, on their implementation,” Superintendent Eric Conti said in a past statement. “This work is ongoing.”

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