The U.S. Department of Education’s Student Privacy Policy Office (SPPO) has opened an investigation into Burlington Public Schools in Massachusetts. The inquiry concerns allegations that the district did not honor parents’ written requests to exclude their children from a survey covering sensitive subjects such as drug and alcohol use, sexual encounters, and gender identity.
Complaints received by the SPPO claim that even after parents opted their children out of the 2025 “Youth Risk Behavior Survey,” or all school surveys, students were still given the survey. The Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA) requires schools to provide notice and allow parents to opt their children out of surveys that include questions on certain private topics.
“Parents must be the primary decision-makers in their children’s education. The allegations that Burlington violated parents’ rights by administering a survey against parents’ wishes – and particularly one that is graphic, and downright inappropriate in nature – is unconscionable,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. “The Department will investigate this matter thoroughly and continue to resolutely defend parents’ rights.”
According to the complaint, the 2025 “Youth Risk Behavior Survey” included questions considered highly sensitive and sexually explicit. The PPRA is a federal law enforced by the SPPO at the Department of Education, which grants parents specific rights regarding school surveys that request personal information about students or their families.
