by F.R. Duplantier
The education establishment is kicking up a ruckus over a bill that received nearly unanimous support in the House of Representatives. They're determined to stop the Senate from passing this sensible legislation.
The Family Privacy Protection Act would prohibit schools from questioning minors about political or religious affiliations or beliefs, mental or psychological problems, sexual behavior or attitudes, illegal or self-incriminating behavior, or their opinions of other family members -- without first obtaining the permission of their parents. The need for such a law is clear when schools make a practice of bypassing the informed consent of parents to distribute condoms to adolescents and subject even younger children to coercive physical exams.
The widespread use of intrusive surveys and questionnaires in the public school classroom started in the mid-1970s and led to the passage of the first Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment in 1978, sponsored by former university president and Senator Sam Hayakawa. The public school establishment was powerful enough to prevent regulations from being written until President Ronald Reagan demanded them in 1984. National Education Association agents in the Department of Education and public school administrators nationwide still managed to thwart the enforcement of this law.
Take, for example, the infamous 149-question survey which has been given, despite parental objections, to nearly all 6th, 9th and 12th grade Minnesota pupils. Parents protested the survey's invasion of privacy, as well as its underlying assumption that illegal drug use, promiscuity, and suicidal tendencies are normal teenage behavior. They also objected to the way in which the survey encouraged pupils to inform on their parents.
Among other things, the survey inquired about the drinking habits of family members, to ascertain if their use of alcohol had "repeatedly caused family, health, job or legal problems." Many questions conveyed the notion that the majority of teenagers are using illegal drugs. Some questions interrogated the child about his religion. Certain questions -- particularly those relating to severe depression and attempted suicide -- were undoubtedly traumatic for some children. The survey also sought to determine the sexual experience and practices of the students. It shouldn't need to be said -- though it obviously does -- that public schools have no business requiring children to answer any of these nosy questions without prior written parental consent.
The purpose of the Family Privacy Protection Act is to extend the scope of the law to all surveys and questionnaires that are federally funded, not merely those funded by the Department of Education, and also to remove some vague language that has enabled the public schools to circumvent the law for the past ten years. The Senate will no doubt be besieged by self-styled researchers whose prurient interest in the sexuality of children is facilitated by unfettered access to our nation's schools. Let's hope our Senators recognize that these schools exist only to educate our children -- not to provide a steady supply of guinea pigs for behavioral scientists.
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