For many MA families, the first day of school is this week. Whether you’re preparing to send your kids back in the next couple days or if you live in a town that doesn’t start until next week, the new school year will be upon us all in short order. We want you to be prepared to protect your kids when it comes.

In our last post, we shared our MIP Back to School Checklist (didn’t see it? Click below!). Today we are starting a “MIP Back to School PSA” series where we look in more detail at some of the topics on that checklist, as well as other issues we think parents need to know about before they encounter them in a Massachusetts public school.

The subject of our first MIP BTS PSA (so many letters!) is: SURVEYS.

If you’re a seasoned MIP reader, you know we have talked about surveys before. Most recently we reported on the Youth Risk Behavior Survey that was given in Burlington which led to the school district being investigated by the federal government after graphic, sexual questions were given to middle school students - even though their parents had opted them out. These questions talked about anal sex, sex toys, and other topics that are never appropriate for a classroom full of minors. (Not familiar with the Burlington survey debacle? Read the latest below!)

We have also reported on the MetroWest Adolescent Health Survey, which came to our attention not because of an opt out issue, but because the schools were making it very difficult for parents to see what the survey actually asked! Many of them wondered, what’s the big secret? We wondered that too - so we found out. As it turns out, this survey also included questions about gender identity, sex, “Community Issues” (all of which are progressive-coded, like LGBTQ issues and climate change), and other topics that many parents would object to. To see what else we learned, read more below.

Surveys have come up in the MIP facebook group as well - there are dozens of posts that touch on the topic in one way or another. In one such post, this survey was shared by a Milford parent whose middle-school aged child was given a research survey sponsored by Mass General Hospital that, amongst other things, gives students options such as “genderqueer” and “pansexual” with which they can identify. See two of the survey screens below (cleaned up for easier readability - thanks, Chat!), and more in the original post HERE.

Another example from MIP is Panorama, a company whose surveys are used in many districts. Their surveys often ask students to identify their sexual orientation or gender identity. The one below is from Arlington Public Schools, who gave this out to students in grades 3-5. See the original post and more pages of the survey HERE. (Defending Ed has also reported on the use of Panorama surveys in Arlington, see their reporting HERE.)

All of these types of surveys are important to know about, because this is reason enough to opt your kids out. But the surveys parents need to know about RIGHT NOW are “Student Interest Surveys.” These getting-to-know-you type surveys, which can go by any number of names, are often given on the first day of school, or within the first week by classroom teachers. While in some instances these surveys are simply to learn a few benign factoids about your child (favorite pet, favorite food, etc.), in other instances these surveys can be used to ask your child questions about their gender identity - even to the extent of asking whether or not they use different pronouns at school and at home (that means, if they want to identify as a different gender at school but they don’t want their parents to know).

You can see two samples of these types of surveys below. These were given to 6th graders at a public school in Sharon, MA. We highlighted the concerning parts in red. To see the original post (and more samples of these surveys from Sharon), click HERE.

Parents should know two things about these “Student Interest Surveys” and other surveys like them. First, students cannot be compelled to share their pronouns with teachers or the class. If your child is old enough to discuss this with (and if they are attending public school in Massachusetts, they are probably old enough!), tell them that if a teacher asks them for this information, they can simply leave the question blank or respectfully decline to answer - and that they should tell you about it when they get home. Having an open dialogue with your child (when appropriate) is important because even when you submit an opt out letter, sometimes things still happen. Whether your child receives a survey by accident or because a teacher is actively ignoring your opt out request (either is possible), making sure your child knows their rights is the best first-line offense. The second is, of course, to submit your opt out form ASAP (even before the first day of school, if possible).

The opt out form from Massachusetts Liberty Legal Center specifically speaks to surveys that fall under federal Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA). This includes “Student Interest Surveys,” if they ask about any of the legally protected topics. This letter also covers the use of alternate names and pronouns, so that teachers and administrators are on notice that, even if your child chooses to take such a survey and provide an alternative identity, you do not approve of it being used.

See the relevant portions of the MLLC opt out below, and download it for yourself HERE.

Don’t wait to submit this form. Do it today via email and request a response acknowledging that they received it (your sent email is your receipt, but it’s better to hear from the school that they got it). If your school does not honor your opt out, or if they ask questions about it that you don’t know how to answer, let us know at massinformedparents@gmail.com. You may also contact the Massachuetts Liberty Legal Center directly HERE for free legal support.

In addition to surveys that ask kids sensitive (and often grossly inappropriate) questions about sex, sexuality and gender, there are also surveys are objectionable for other reasons. These surveys are not overtly ideological, but could be used to justify installing school programming that focuses on the controversial issues many parents hope to avoid.

One such example that recently came to our attention is the Safe and Supportive Schools Survey that was given to students in grades 3-12 last June at Tantasqua Regional.

We learned of this survey because a parent posted an inquiry in MIP. This parent, who was concerned about the potential content in the upcoming survey, wanted to make a good-faith review of the questions in order to decide on whether or not they should opt their child out. But instead of being transparent, they told us that the district was giving their family, and other families, the runaround and not letting them see the questions. See the original post HERE.

This apparent attempt to hide the survey questions didn’t pass our sniff test, so we did a public records request for the surveys themselves and other related documents. You can download what we received below.

SaSS Student Survey Tantasqua 2026

5.97MB ∙ PDF file

Download

All documents received are combined into one file. Notes in red denote the grade levels to which the document and following pages are applicable.

Download

As it turned out, the Tantasqua SaSS surveys did not ask any questions about sex or gender specifically. But that doesn’t mean it was harmless.

First, we noticed that the parent notification letter stated that the surveys were going to be anonymous. See below. This is the letter that parents were provided in order to make their decision about whether or not they wanted their child to participate.

Yet when we reviewed the ACTUAL surveys provided by the district - the ones the district didn’t WANT parents to see, we noticed something very odd: both the grades 3-6 and grades 7-12 surveys REQUIRED that students enter their email address!

How is it anonymous if the student is required to enter this personally identifiable information?

The questionable nature of the district’s claim of anonymity is further evidenced by the following series of questions at the end of the grade 7-12 survey. These are the types of questions you would ask if you were seeking to identify specific students for these upcoming activities.

If the district told parents that the survey was anonymous and that was not actually true, this would be a massive violation of trust. The fact that parents have reported being denied access to the survey in advance makes it even worse.

But even if the surveys were actually anonymous, they are still problematic because they can be used to justify the proliferation of whatever ideologically driven programming is desired by the district (or the person responsible for implementing the survey, which in this case is the district’s Compliance and Equity Coordinator).

For instance, think about this questions from the grade 3-6 survey.

The survey never asks children to identify their religion, so how would data from this question be interpreted? What if there is a teacher who is blatantly biased against Christians, and many Christian students answer this question in the negative? Would this data be interpreted to support more affirmation of Christianity in school, or to hold this teacher accountable? It seems far more likely that something else would be assumed, and not only would the data not be sufficient to solve the problem, it could be used to justify inserting other religions into the classroom or removing common cultural references to Christianity (like Christmas or Good Friday).

And how about the question below, “The adults at my school help me to see more than one point of view.” Because of how the question is phrased, it’s safe to assume that the surveyor wants to see affirmative responses here. So, on what topics IS the school expected to help children see “more than one point of view?” If a child shares their conservative convictions in class, is it the teacher’s duty to promote an opposing view? What if a child expresses that there are only two sexes - would the teacher be expected to convince them otherwise? If many students answer “some of the time” or “never,” could this be used an excuse to implement professional development that encourages teachers to bring their own political views into the classroom?

These are only two examples of how the questions on the Tantasqua SaSS surveys might not directly talk about sexuality, gender, or other topics covered by the PPRA, but they can be used to implement ideologically-driven programs that may violate the beliefs of many of the families they serve. Because surveys cease to be useful when many students opt out, the best way to prevent this from happening is to opt out, and tell all of your friends to do the same.

So Mom and Dad, start the school year off right. Submit your opt out letter today. We’ll drop the link below again. If you submit this letter and your school pushes back, let us know. We are here for you.

Opt out of Surveys and More

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Back to School PSA #1: What you Need to Know…