US Education Department Probes California School Districts Over Student Surveys

Three California school districts are under federal investigation for allegedly surveying students on sensitive topics such as sexual orientation, gender identity, and family finances without parental knowledge or consent. The U.S. Department of Education’s Student Privacy Policy Office announced the investigations Friday into North Monterey County, Palo Alto, and San Francisco unified school districts.

The investigations stem from complaints alleging that students were asked to disclose personal information through activities such as "Wheel of Power/Privilege" or "Mapping My Identities," often as part of ethnic studies curricula. According to the department, these activities may have violated the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA), a federal law requiring schools to notify parents and obtain written consent before surveying students on protected subjects. These protected topics include political and religious beliefs, mental health, sexual behavior, illegal or self-incriminating conduct, family relationships, and income.

Education Secretary Linda McMahon emphasized the importance of parental rights, stating, "Parents have a right to opt their children out of these kinds of surveys. It’s not just a question of notifying the parents; they have the right to opt them out. That’s what we want to see." She added that the department had specific reasons for launching the investigations in California.

In addition to notification and consent requirements, federal law mandates that schools make all curriculum available for parental review upon request. The complaints also allege that the districts ignored requests to review ethnic studies curricula or granted only partial access.

"Students should not be pressured into identifying intimate details about themselves and their families without parental awareness and consent — and certainly not to rank them on an ideological ‘privilege scale,'" said Frank Miller, director of the Student Privacy Policy Office. "Education leaders in California must stop undermining parental rights and we will work with these Districts to bring them into full compliance with federal laws."

North Monterey County Unified serves approximately 4,200 students, with a majority being Hispanic and from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds. Palo Alto Unified, which has about 10,000 students, saw its school board reverse a decision to pause ethnic studies as a graduation requirement, ultimately voting to mandate it for the class of 2029. San Francisco Unified, the largest of the three with over 55,000 students, has had ethnic studies as a graduation requirement since 2021.

This is not the first federal action against California schools this year. In January, the Student Privacy Policy Office found the California Department of Education in violation of federal law for policies that allegedly pressured schools to withhold students' gender transitions from parents. In May, a Title IX investigation was opened into the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) concerning policies regarding teachers accused of sexual misconduct with students. Further investigations into sexual misconduct and antisemitic harassment have also been initiated in other California districts.

Violations of the PPRA can lead to enforcement actions, including the potential loss of federal funding for the districts.