A survey given to students at a St. Johns County middle school asked questions about their parents’ political leanings, whether they were transgender or “cis,” and whether they shared the same beliefs as their parents, according to a report.
An unnamed teacher at Liberty Pines Academy administered a set of questions designed to assess students’ future career paths, called the Holland Occupational Themes.
While that survey itself is uncontroversial, students were then presented with an additional set of questions on the online platform the teacher used to deliver the survey.
According to Action News Jax, students were asked whether they had ever considered “extreme body modification,” whether they identified as “trans” or “cis,” and whether their beliefs aligned with their parents’.
Students were also asked whether they liked bubble baths, candles, and “sitting near flowers,” according to the site.
The St. Johns County School District told the outlet that the teacher was not aware that students would be shown the additional set of questions and that the incident was isolated to his class.
The queries that elicited concern were no longer included in the survey as of Monday.
The outlet reported that the district has recommended that the teacher be terminated, a decision that would need approval from the St. Johns County School Board. The teacher has been placed on paid leave pending a March meeting.
State Representative Kim Kendall told Action News Jax that she had also received complaints from parents about the survey.
“As a parent first, I have a lot of questions, and somebody needs to answer them,” she said.
“The well-being of our students is always our top priority, and this survey is not one that is included in our instructional materials,” the district said in a statement to the site. “We will be reviewing our processes and procedures for administering surveys and will provide instruction to the teacher on vetted materials to be used with students,” a district spokesperson told Action News Jax in an emailed statement.”
Kendall is currently sponsoring a bill intended to strengthen parental rights. The proposed law would allow parents to review surveys given to their children at school and to opt their child out if they choose.
