Massachusetts Parents Angered by Middle School Health Survey Raising Concerns Over Parental Rights

A contentious debate over parental rights has erupted in a Massachusetts school district following the administration of a health survey to middle school students. The survey, conducted in late March, posed sexually explicit questions to children as young as 11, igniting outrage among parents who had opted their children out of the survey.

Burlington Public Schools (BPS) alerted parents on March 6 via ParentSquare about its intentions to distribute the 2025 Youth Risk Behavior Survey to students at Marshall Simonds Middle School. This survey, part of a national initiative pioneered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, included sensitive questions regarding alcohol use, drug habits, and gender identity.

One particularly controversial element within the survey directly inquired whether students had ever engaged in sexual intercourse, with the question providing detailed definitions of various sexual acts, including oral and anal sex. Moreover, it addressed the usage of sex toys.

Parents have expressed their alarm over the nature of these inquiries. Fox News Digital spoke to three parents with children who participated in the survey; two of them had formally opted their children out and have since lodged federal complaints with the U.S. Department of Education, in collaboration with the Massachusetts Liberty Legal Center. This organization champions free speech, religious liberty, and parental rights.

“It made me sick to my stomach that such explicit questions were posed to children,” said Adrianne Simeone, a Burlington resident whose 13-year-old son was opted out of the survey. “While I have discussed sex with my children and they are educated about sexual reproduction, topics like anal sex, oral sex, and sex toys are not appropriate for minors, especially those as young as 11.”

The Massachusetts Liberty Legal Center argues that BPS violated the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA), which mandates that K-12 schools receiving federal funding must notify parents and allow them the right to opt their children out of surveys involving sensitive topics.

Sam Whiting, legal counsel for MLLC, noted that BPS’s actions directly contravened federal law by not respecting the opt-out requests made by parents. He expressed hope that the Department of Education, especially under the Trump administration, would hold the district accountable for these violations.

Reports indicated that some students who had been opted out of the survey by their parents were nevertheless compelled to participate, despite their protests, because their names had not been correctly recorded on the opt-out list. Furthermore, teachers failed to inform students that participation in the survey was voluntary, as stated in a demand letter from MLLC directed to BPS School Committee members.

David Hanafin shared his outrage with Fox News Digital, recounting how his 11-year-old son was forced to take the survey, despite the family’s clear opt-out request. “We do not send our kids to school for indoctrination or to have these kinds of discussions,” he emphasized. “Our educational focus should be on foundational skills such as reading, writing, and math, while parents handle personal discussions at home.”

With six children enrolled across elementary, middle, and high school grades, Hanafin described an agreement he had made with Superintendent Eric Conti and Assistant Superintendent Laura Chen regarding opting his children out of all surveys that deal with sensitive content.

Regarding his daughter, who is 11 and still believes in Santa Claus, Hanafin remarked on the inappropriateness of surveys asking her about topics like anal sex and sex toys. He questioned how anyone could deem these inquiries suitable for children of that age.

The Youth Risk Behavior Survey has been utilized nationwide since 1991 to monitor health behavior changes and collect data informing policies related to teen substance abuse, suicide prevention, and sexual health. However, the definitions included in the sexual intercourse questions were modified in the 2025 version to reflect a more inclusive approach towards the LGBTQ+ community, as outlined by JSI, the healthcare research and consulting organization responsible for the survey.

Simeone and Hanafin have filed complaints with the Education Department, protesting the survey alongside other concerned parents during a school committee meeting on April 1.

Another parent, who chose to remain anonymous due to fears of backlash, noted that she had missed the notification about the survey due to the volume of school communications and found herself distressed when seeing the questions her daughter had answered.

Superintendent Conti later issued an apology during the April 1 meeting, acknowledging that the opt-out requests had not been honored due to a mistake. He added that certain definitions within the survey had been altered and appended without proper consent from BPS after being reviewed by the Wellness Committee.

Conti claimed that Principal Tim McMahon had reported only four opt-out requests were disregarded, a statement disputed by both parents and MLLC representatives.

During the same meeting, School Committee Member Christine Monaco expressed her disapproval of the survey definitions, labeling them as “awful,” “inappropriate,” and “disgusting.” She stated that some students aware of their parents’ wishes had advocated for themselves, only to be ignored, an unacceptability that needed addressing to prevent future occurrences.

On April 8, the school committee voted unanimously to suspend all student surveys until new policies are established and to eliminate all funding allocated for JSI in the upcoming budget cycle.

In response to the fallout from the survey incident, BPS announced its plans to engage an independent consultant to review how the 2025 survey was administered. They emphasized their commitment to transparency, accountability, and the welfare of all students, alongside a dedication to collaborating with families and the local community.

At the April 8 meeting, a parent expressed that while she was not offended by the survey and found it surprising, she believed in the positive information it could yield and advocated for increased representation of all community groups.

Simeone and Hanafin criticized the school district for its history of undermining parental rights and pushing unsuitable content onto students. They are calling for accountability measures to be implemented.

“I’m weary of the continual disrespect towards parents and our authority to decide how and when we discuss these topics with our children,” Simeone observed. She recounted her struggle for greater transparency regarding the Spectrum Club, a student organization promoting LGBTQ+ rights, which had not been publicly listed on the ParentSquare app until she intervened.

She urged parents to remain vigilant and advocate for their children, emphasizing that they should not wait for issues to arise before taking action. She encouraged them to approach their own school systems and administrators to demand clarity on similar initiatives.

Hanafin echoed Simeone’s concerns, expressing frustrations about parents feeling intimidated to voice their objections to progressive ideologies being promoted in schools for fear of risk to their reputations.

BPS Superintendent Conti and Assistant Superintendent Chen did not respond promptly to inquiries regarding the incident. Meanwhile, Julie Hartman, a spokesperson for the Department of Education, reaffirmed the agency’s dedication to safeguarding parental rights, stating that children belong to their parents, not the government. The department will not tolerate violations of parents’ rights or the exploitation of students by adults meant to protect their welfare.