Parents press board to cancel sex survey (Virginia)

Washington Times ^ | Wednesday, January 22, 2003 | By Jon Ward

[BufordP]

Racy questions on youth survey raise eyebrows
By Dominic Bonaiuto, January 28, 2003

The county is preparing to administer its second survey on at-risk behavior to local school children, but the addition of sex questions is drawing sharp criticism.

In fact, some are now questioning whether the $60,000 cost of the survey would not be better spent on actual programs to pre-empt the risky behaviors prompting all the fuss.

County supervisors discussed the survey at length this week with most expressing support for the survey provided the sex questions were left out--as they were in the original 2001 "Communities That Care Youth Survey."

A staff working group suggested adding questions to the latest survey to learn more about the sexual experiences--including information about sexual partners and knowledge of sexually transmitted diseases--of county teenagers.

Supervisor Stuart Mendelsohn (R-Dranesville) unsuccessfully pushed to have the Board of Supervisors and School Board defer giving the survey a green light until further information could be provided about how answers to such questions would be used and whether such questions can even be asked at all under federal guidelines.

Last week, the School Board received a recommendation to use the survey money to pay for alcohol and drug prevention services and to refer all survey questions to its Family Life Education Curriculum Advisory Committee.

Supervisor Gerald Connolly (D-Providence) said not asking the questions simply will not make the potential problems go away.

"Young people's lives are at stake," he said. "We owe it to the community, no matter how uncomfortable it makes us all, to get this data."

©Arcom Publishing Inc. - Great Falls/McLean/Vienna Times 2003

[Ligeia]

The Great Falls/McLean/Vienna Times is bookmarked on my computer. I think that's where I found the local coverage on the school board meeting we attended that I posted on the thread about that other school board issue (no rest for the weary). They're weekly and only put a small portion of their tabloid on the web, so I'm glad you found this story.

I emailed my county supervisor and got an automated reply. She's a liberal dem who's obviously overstepping the mandate the citizenry hired her to do. Thanks for the link.

[Ligeia]

I thought you two might be interested in this book review.

Feb 02, 2003

Aggressive Agenda: Politics Is Driving Force in National PTA

REVIEWED BY ROBERT HOLLAND

THE POLITICS OF THE PTA, by Charlene K. Haar; Transaction Publishers, $39.95.

The very name PTA conveys an image of All-American good - Mom and Pop involved in Junior's school, bake sales and spaghetti dinners to raise funds for educational extras, special recognition for dedicated teachers.

Indeed, such constructive things do happen at thousands of schools across the country, but this important book by a leading education scholar establishes that the venerable PTA - in particular, the National PTA - is not always the instrument of good. Charlene Haar finds that 90 percent of America's parents of K-12 children do not belong to the National PTA or its affiliates, and yet half of them are members of school organizations. Many of those groups fall under the umbrella of Parent-Teacher Organizations (PTOs), which work to support a particular local school without asserting a PTO political agenda.

FOR ITS part, the National PTA has an aggressive national agenda of which the average parent may not be aware when he or she forks over dues money on Back-to-School Night in September. For instance, the National PTA walks in virtual lockstep with the powerful teacher unions, the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers, even to the point of staying neutral in the face of every threatened or actual teachers strike. No matter how unreasonable or disruptive a strike might be, the PTA will not assert the interests of parents.

Furthermore, the PTA echoes the NEA/AFT in lobbying for a dominant federal presence in education, while adamantly opposing all forms of parental choice. Those inner-city parents who could use a public scholarship (a/k/a voucher) to transfer their children to safe and productive schools cannot expect any help whatever from the PTA.

IN THIS carefully researched, one-of-its-kind book, Ms. Haar examines not only the contemporary politics of the PTA but its late 19th-Century origin as the National Congress of Mothers. The Founding Mothers generally subscribed to the philosophy of the day that "a woman's place is in the home," but they extended the definition of home to encompass the community and carved out their own role as civic housekeepers.

The feminine influence was the civilizing influence thought to cure just about every social ailment. A little more than a century later, the National PTA promotes a welfare-state agenda that would make government the Big Mama of us all.

Robert Holland is a senior fellow at the Lexington Institute in Arlington.

RTD

[ladylib]

Thank you. Nothing surprises me anymore.

[ladylib]

I though Fairfax County was supposed to be a pretty good school system.

I'm surprised that only 30 percent of households send their children to its schools.

One way to get around the whole thing is to write a note to the district telling them your child doesn't participate in any survey unless you see it. If they tell you to come down to the school and see it, tell them to mail it to you and that you are not obligated to go down to the school. Then tell them again that your child does not participate in any survey that you haven't seen first.

[StayAt HomeMother]

I'm surprised that only 30 percent of households send their children to its schools.

That's because the majority of households do not have school aged children. Here are some stats from the proposed school budget for next year:

Population 1,000,000

Households 358,149

Percent of families with incomes over $100,000 49.5%

High School Graduates 92.0%

Persons speaking a language other than English at home 30.7%

Households with computers with internet access (2000) 79.0%

Persons without health insurance (2000) 8.2%

"Fairfax County Demographics Fairfax County comprises 407 square miles of suburban countryside, just southwest of the nation’s capital... with a population of one million, making Fairfax County larger than the population of seven states. Nearly twenty-nine percent of the population is under 20 years of age, while 18 percent is 55 years of age or older. Fairfax County ranks number one in the nation in the percentage of workers in executive, administrative, and managerial positions, with over 56.2 percent of all residents over 25 having at least a four-year college degree. Fairfax County is one of the most affluent counties in the nation, with a median household income of $84,700, and a median family income of $99,100 in 2001. ... In 2000, 64.4 percent of the population was white (non-Hispanic).... Asians are the second largest segment of the population, comprising 13.0 percent of the population, followed by Hispanics at 11.0 percent, blacks (non-Hispanic) at 8.4 percent, and others at 3.2 percent. Of the total Fairfax County population in 1998, over 30 percent of those over the age of five speak a language other than English at home. This diversity is mirrored in the Fairfax County Public Schools where over 100 native languages are represented among the students enrolled."

[Ligeia]

I found this report in another weekly tabloid, The Connection. It's terrible reporting and contains assumptions and generalizations yet still demonstrates the overreaching mindset of the Dems. In addition to capable reporters, we need more Republicans on the Board of Supervisors.

Sex Questions To Stay in Survey
After party-line vote, board approves questions.
By David Harrison
January 30, 2003

Survey Questions On Sexual Activity
1- Have you ever participated in oral sex?
2- How old were you when you participated in oral sex for the first time?
3- Have you ever had sexual intercourse?
4- How old were you when you had sexual intercourse for the first time?
5- During your life, with how many people have you had sexual intercourse?
6- During the past three months, with how many people have you had sexual intercourse?
7- Did you drink alcohol or use drugs before you had sexual intercourse the last time?
8- The last time you had sexual intercourse, did you or your partner use a condom?
9- Have you ever been taught about AIDS or HIV infection in school?

By the end of this school year, Fairfax County adults will get a glimpse of their teen-age children's sexual activity.

They will see figures on contraceptive use, the frequency of sexual activity and the use of drugs or alcohol among 10th and 12th graders, thanks to a survey approved by the Board of Supervisors on Monday.

Although the survey will be administered to 6th, 8th, 10th and 12th graders, only the 10th and 12th graders will have the opportunity to answer the questions on sexual activity.

THE VOTE WAS SPLIT on party lines with the Republican members of the board supporting a failed motion to defer discussion of the survey until April when the county debates its budget for the next fiscal year. Another motion to delay the board's decision until the end of February also failed despite receiving support from Supervisors Gerald Hyland (D-Mt Vernon) and Dana Kauffman (D-Lee).

Supervisor Stuart Mendelsohn (R-Dranesville), who made the first motion, said the delay was to ascertain whether the survey represented the best use of county funds.
"There are more pressing board issues than this to do," he said. The survey is expected to cost about $60,000 to administer.

Mendelsohn also said asking such explicit questions about sex could cause some students to give false information or could alienate students who aren't sexually active.

"I support the basic survey but I think we've gone too far with these questions," he said.

The survey also asks students about drug and alcohol use, violent behavior and their views towards suicide.

"Kids do a good job," said Board Chairman Katherine Hanley (D-At Large). "They seem to tell the truth." Survey analysts use a variety of methods to screen out surveys that are filled out incorrectly or untruthfully.

Mary Shaughnessy, the director of student services for the Fairfax County Public Schools, said that a comparable 2001 survey with no questions on sexual activity helped the county shape programs to deal with alcohol and drug abuse and violence among high school students.
"We also strengthened the family life and education curriculum," she said.

The 2001 survey found that tobacco and drug use was slightly lower in Fairfax County than the national average but that alcohol use was slightly higher. Over a third reported having felt depressed or sad for days at a time and nearly 20 percent said they had contemplated suicide. The survey also found that students felt less attached to their neighborhoods and less mobile than the national average.

"We believe that the investment in the survey in 2001 has been enormously successful," said Mark Searle, a board member of the Fairfax Partnership for Youth, which helped administer the survey.

"Anytime there is something negative that concerns us," said Supervisor Catherine Hudgins (D-Hunter Mill), who opposed the motion to defer the survey. The point of the questions is to help at-risk students, she said. "The only way we can do that is to get the data," she added.

But Supervisor Elaine McConnell (D-Springfield) said questions on sexual activity could give the county a bad reputation.

"We could become known as a problem county," she said, "unless this is under a very controlled situation."

"There are some things that some people think should still be taboo," said Supervisor Gerald Connolly (D-Providence).

source

[ladylib]

Thanks for the information.

[Angelwood]

Thanks for keeping us apprised of what's happening on this issue. The questionnaire should definitely not be given to students. What are they really going to use the information for when all is said and done?

[ladylib]

One has to wonder if the information goes into some sort of database in the Hilldebeast's senatorial office so she can formulate policy when she becomes Queen of the World.

[Ligeia]

One way to get around the whole thing is to write a note to the district telling them your child doesn't participate in any survey unless you see it. If they tell you to come down to the school and see it, tell them to mail it to you and that you are not obligated to go down to the school. Then tell them again that your child does not participate in any survey that you haven't seen first.

That's one option. Frankly, I like the earlier suggestion of having students name elected Democrat officials as their sex partners. Leave the printed questions blank, then write in the margins that ... ah, the mind wanders.

[Ligeia]

Thanks for keeping us apprised of what's happening on this issue.

You're welcome. Things are going to be interesting on both boards. You know Stu Mendelsohn is retiring and Mychele Brickner is running against Kate Hanley for the Fairfax County Board Chairman. Mychele wants a primary because her crowd (us) will show up and vote for her as opposed to a convention where Jack Herrity's people are apt to participate.

It's going to be an interesting election season.! Please Lord, may good candidates step forward and run.

[ladylib]

Local politicians and national ones, such as the former President of the United States, Bill Clinton (oral sex isn't sex). And I bet a lot of people would believe it too since Fairfax County is just outside Washington.

I'd love it if a bunch of kids wrote that they had a three- some with Bill, Monica, and Socks the Cat.

[ladylib]

Correction: I guess it would be an orgy, not a three-some as I originally wrote.

[Protagoras]

Abolish government schools

[Ligeia]

Email from one of the two Republican candidates running against Sen. Janet Howell, Howie Lind. I'm supporting the other candidate, Dave Hunt but I've ended up on the Lind mailing list passed along from the Club for Growth people after the battle on the tax increase. Still, another voice in the fray:

Howie Lind sent this letter to all members of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors and the Fairfax County School Board. It appeared as a Letter to the Editor in the Northern Virginia Journal on February 6, 2003.

Money for Sex Survey is Just Tip of the Iceberg

Dear Fairfax Supervisors:

Have you no decency? Asking our high schoolers - my kids, too - sex questions in an official government document legitimizes these adult sexual acts as behavior that our kids may be expected to engage in.

Someone told me to "wake up and smell the coffee" about the dangers of teenage pregnancy (and preteen pregnancy in some cases). I don't doubt that this occurs, but the answer is not to subject thousands of students to these very inappropriate questions for the misdeeds of a relative few.

Do you think you will be able to eliminate pregnancies for these underage girls by asking these questions? I strongly doubt it. The undesired effect may be that the opposite will result.

In the current fiscal environment, do you think the public would approve of the Fairfax County School Board spending $65,000 of our hard-earned tax dollars surveying students about whether they have engaged in these sexual acts? I doubt that, too.

The $65,000 for this survey would be the tip of the iceberg, since more studies and money would be required to implement any recommendations.

Take a step back and ask yourselves: Do you really want to have these questions asked of your own children, or of other family members (young and old)?

The sexualization of our high school students certainly does not need to be continued by this government-sanctioned sex survey.

HOWIE LIND
Candidate, 32nd State Senate District
McLean

____________________________________________

Authorized and Paid for by Howie Lind for State Senate Howie Lind for State Senate. Replies or other comments should be directed to howie@howielind.com

[BufordP]

Rethink your position on Lind vice Hunt. The Club for Growth has an excellent track record for endorsing the best candidate.

[Ligeia]

My support for Dave Hunt is really immaterial since I found out I was redistricted into Leslie Byrne's district. Sob! Dave Hunt attends my church and he's been out campaigning at back-to-school nights and the like for over a year. I don't know why Club for Growth chose one over the other. Rob McDowell is the only Republican running in my new district, and he's easy to support.

On a related school note, have you been following the new Shelter-In-Place decision by the school board? There seems to be disagreement as to whether or not school officials will release children to their parents in the event of an attack.

Fairfax to Confine Students In Case of Terrorist Attack

If the Washington area were hit by a chemical or biological attack, Fairfax County students would be kept in locked-down schools, inaccessible to parents, while teachers helped undress and shower any who needed decontamination, according to a plan adopted by school authorities. Continue at the WP

[Ligeia]

Okay, I finally got a response from my representative on the Board of Supervisors.

February 10, 2003

Dear xxx:

Thank you for contacting me with your concerns regarding the 2003 Communities That Care Youth Survey. The Board of Supervisors previously approved funding for the survey in an effort to follow trends of youth behavior -- trends that were first published as part of the 2001 Communities That Care Youth Survey Report. On January 27, 2003, the Board directed staff to change the survey to allow students who answer no to the first question regarding sexual activity to skip the remaining questions on sexual behavior and move on to the next section.

As you likely know, I voted against the original motion to delay the survey. I feel that sexual behaviors are among the most dangerous activities that our youth engage in and I believe it would be irresponsible for the Board of Supervisors or the Fairfax County School Board to attempt to allocate resources to prevent these risky behaviors without first gathering data about them. Considering our limited resources, we must be judicious in targeting those resources. Understanding the problems we are faced with is a vital first step in this process. I encourage and support programs that will prevent youth from becoming involved in negative behavior that can have long-term effects on their lives.

Regarding the survey itself, it is important to note that the questions regarding sexual behaviors will only be administered to 10th and 12th grade students. In addition, the parents of all students randomly selected for the survey will be notified and will have the opportunity to opt-out of the survey.

Additionally, the 2001 Communities That Care Youth Survey Report can be viewed online at: Youth Report [PDF]

Thank you again for contacting my office and please feel free to do so again if I can be of further assistance.

Sincerely,

Your Dem Representative Striving to Usurp Family
Responsibilities Into the Hands of Big Government

[Ligeia]

Abolish government schools

Odd statement coming from Mr. Jefferson's pen, the premier advocate for public education at the Founding. Goes to show how far things have strayed from the early vision.