Should schools ask students to report on the kind of arguments that take place within the privacy of their homes? Parents of middle school students in Noblesville, Indiana don’t think so and are accusing local educators of invading their privacy.
Fox59.com is reporting on the survey, know as the Indiana Youth Survey, which has been conducted by the Indiana Prevention Resource Center for the last 20 years. Administered on a volunteer basis to students in the sixth through twelfth grades in 150 school districts across the state, it normally asks for information on drug and alcohol awareness in order to help determine the best approach to educate children on these issues.
But this year was different. The survey asked for student responses to statements like, “People in my family have serious arguments,” and, “People in my family often insult or yell at each other.”
Michelle Bracewell, the parent of a seventh grade student at Noblesville West Middle School, learned about this after her daughter filled out the survey on her iPad.
“They crossed the line when they entered the home,” Bracewell told Fox59. “Those are personal questions, and if I want people to know what’s going on inside my home, I’ll let them know.”
Bracewell was not alone in her concerns. Other parents began to speak out about the survey on Facebook, with some calling the survey an “issue of rights” and “data mining, and a 100% violation of privacy and trust.”
Parents were also concerned that students were given the option to list their initials and birth date on the survey, which many say could easily be used to identify the student who completed the questionnaire.
Data mining has become a big worry for parents as schools enter the era of big-data collection. Private-sector data mining companies known as ed-techs are collecting a staggering amounts of data on children while they work on assignments on computers at school and at home. These companies track what games they play, what videos they watch, what books they read, even how many laps they run in gym class.
States as well as the federal government are getting involved in data mining and investing billions in huge data banks that will store all kinds of information on our children, literally tracking them from birth to college and beyond. Supposedly, this information is being collected to help schools tailor their education programs more appropriately, or assist in marketing products, but parents are worried when probing questions such as “Was he ever disciplined for fighting as a teen?” or “does she suffer from mental illness” are being asked and recorded. How will this information be used in the future? Could it be used by colleges or potential employers to “weed out” candidates?
Even more disturbing, when FOX59 asked the Noblesville Schools if students were really given a choice about filling out the survey or were compelled to complete it, the spokesman for the schools did not respond to emails or answer any follow-up questions.
Click here to read the survey.
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