California schools cannot sideline parents in surveys of children
The Education Department is probing three districts after complaints say students faced questions about sexuality, finances and immigration status without parents’ consent.
California schools have no business asking children to rank their families on an ideological privilege scale, and parents, not districts, decide what children disclose about their families. On October 26, the U.S. Department of Education posted on X: “Parental rights are non-negotiable.” The post says ED is investigating three California school districts over the alleged solicitation of students’ private information in a questionnaire without parental consent1.
Parents, not school districts, direct a child’s upbringing. The districts answer to that authority, not the other way around.
Complaints describe intimate student questions
According to complaints the department received, students were asked to disclose their sexual orientation, gender identity, race, family finances and immigration status. The districts allegedly required students to take part in “Wheel of Power/Privilege” or “Mapping My Identities” activities as part of their ethnic studies curricula2. An exercise that asks a child to place the family on a privilege scale is not a neutral lesson.
Parents accused the districts of ignoring requests to review the ethnic studies curriculum or granting only partial access. Frank Miller, director of the Student Privacy Policy Office, said students should not be pressured into identifying intimate details about themselves and their families without parental awareness and consent2.
Ethnic-studies activities still require parental consent
Under the PPRA, schools must provide notice and obtain written consent when students are required, as part of an applicable program, to take a survey revealing protected information. Protected topics include political and religious beliefs, mental health, sexual behavior, illegal or self-incriminating conduct, family relationships and income2. The department’s Student Privacy Policy Office is examining whether the districts violated the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment3.
San Francisco Unified’s own parent-rights guidance says parents must receive notice and an opportunity to opt their child out of other surveys involving protected information3. Calling the exercise ethnic studies does not waive the notice and consent federal law requires. Palo Alto Unified Superintendent Jason E. Glass said the district would cooperate with the department. Parents have a right to know what their children are learning and to make decisions about sensitive personal matters2. Family income is on the federal list of protected topics, so a school owes parents notice and written consent before a child answers about it.
California districts must put parents first
Education Secretary Linda McMahon told the California Post that parents have a right to opt their children out of these kinds of surveys. Notice alone does not meet that standard. The department said violations of the law can lead to enforcement actions and the potential loss of federal funding2.
On October 5, the Education Department and the Justice Department sent a joint letter to state attorneys general urging enforcement of parental rights under FERPA and PPRA4. The departments also announced an enforcement action against Los Angeles Unified over policies requiring staff to keep sensitive student information, including gender identity, hidden from parents5. Palo Alto Unified says it is reviewing how the cited lessons were taught and will fix what it finds2.
Frank Miller said California education leaders must stop undermining parental rights2. Parents should demand the lesson materials, a clear answer on whether their children were required to take part, and the opt-out McMahon says they have. San Francisco Unified, Palo Alto Unified and North Monterey County Unified should open the curriculum to parents and honor every opt-out before the investigations conclude.
Sources
- @usedgov on X, 2026-10-26: Parental rights are non-negotiable. ED is investigating three California school districts for allegedly soliciting private information from students in a questionnaire without parental consent. Read more: https://www.ed.gov/about/news/press-release/us-department-, 2026-10-26
- Exclusive | California school districts probed over student survey with ‘intimate details’
- Palo Alto, SF Unified Face Federal Student Survey Probe
- ED DOJ Joint letter on Parental Rights Oct 5 2026 for PR FINAL, 2026-10-05
- Office of Public Affairs | U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Department of Justice Reaffirm Parents Are Not Terrorists and Have the Right to Direct their Children’s Education | United States Department of Justice, 2026-10-05
FAMILY BRIEF The news and network for the American family.
