Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt on June 8 subpoenaed the Webster Groves School District, along with six other Missouri districts, “demanding” information on the decision to employ student surveys — including some that asked students about their parents’ political beliefs and income levels, as well as some “racially-biased” and other sensitive questions.
The Attorney General’s Office also launched a transparency portal that indexes Sunshine Law requests sent to school districts on behalf of parents.
Schmitt
“As attorney general, I’ve made it my mission to work to empower parents and increase transparency in Missouri schools. Subjecting students to personal, invasive surveys created by third-party consultants potentially without parents’ consent is ridiculous and does nothing to further our children’s education,” Schmitt said in a statement.
Webster Groves School District Superintendent John Simpson on Wednesday was out of the office and unavailable for comment.
Cathy Vespereny, Webster Groves School District’s chief communications officer, said the surveys in question were administered by Panorama Education at Hixson Middle School and Wayfinder at Webster Groves High School. The agencies help educators act on data to improve student outcomes.
Some surveys were created by students themselves at Hixson Middle School as part of a “class project” on school climate, according to Vespereny.
Attorney General Schmitt was made aware of the surveys from conservative group Southeastern Legal Foundation, which called for an investigation into whether a school district is violating the privacy rights of students and their families by having students fill out surveys that include questions about their sexual orientation and the political beliefs of their parents.
The organization sent a letter on behalf of a group of concerned parents to Schmitt, requesting his office launch an investigation into the Webster Groves School District, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, and other educational organizations and related third parties.
“Parents in the Webster Groves School District have a well-founded concern that the student surveys administered in their schools violate both state and federal law, and respectfully ask that you investigate further,” reads the letter.
The parents allege the surveys were mandatory without their consent. The letter also cited experts who describe the surveys as what people would see in a doctor’s office or mental health facility.
“The surveys documented included questions about students’ gender identity, mental health, racial identity and political beliefs,” the letter added.
Schmitt stated that after learning of these surveys, his office opened an investigation and sent subpoenas to seven school districts across the state “to get to the bottom of these surveys and put a stop to them.”
Schmitt’s subpoenas inquire whether the districts’ actions violate Missouri state statute 161.096, the Family Educational Right and Privacy Act, or the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment, and demand documents and information to determine the extent of the surveys and if parents consented to the surveys prior to distribution to students.
Seven school districts in Missouri were found to be employing “student surveys,” according to Schmitt. In addition to Webster Groves, the other districts are Mehlville, Jefferson City, Lee’s Summit, Park Hill, Springfield and Neosho.
