Students in York Region given questionable survey
torontosun.com
By Sue-Ann Levy
April 1, 2017
A survey being circulated this month to York Region District School Board students as young as 10 years old probes whether they’re gender diverse, use drugs or alcohol, and whether they’ve gotten sex messages online in the past two months.
The student climate survey 2017 of Grades 5-12 students, obtained by the Toronto Sun, also asks high schoolers their sexual orientation (the choices include the categories, “questioning” and “intersex”) and whether they consider themselves “homeless.”
The online survey - which with a few exceptions contains the same 50-odd questions for elementary and high school students - was sent out the week of March 23.
The climate survey was part of an edict from the Kathleen Wynne government in 2012 to address bullying, harassment and discrimination in Ontario schools - with a seemingly heavy emphasis on harassment of LGBT students.
According to Richard Francella, spokesman for education minister Mitzie Hunter. the Education Act was amended in 2012 to mandate that every school board conduct anonymous school climate surveys of students, parents and staff at least every two years.
He said the surveys must include questions on bullying related to sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression, as well as sexual harassment.
The ministry provides sample surveys which boards can adapt, he says, but boards can also “use their own locally developed survey.”
A review of the ministry survey templates suggests YRDSB officials not only developed their own survey, but it appears to go off the charts in terms of intrusiveness and questions one might consider inappropriate for 10-year-olds.
The YRDSB climate survey addresses a range of touchy-feely topics like whether students are participating in campaigns to protect the environment; are learning about social justice and mental health; whether their social identities are talked about and whether they have access to safe spaces to pray, be quiet or engage in “active movement.”
Students are also asked whether they’re happy with their lives, whether they are able to cheer themselves up when they’re sad and whether they hide feelings of anxiety and sadness.
High school students are probed as to whether they feel they “were pushed to do too much” during the school year and how often they “ran out of time” so they couldn’t do “anything fun.”
Conspicuously absent, other than a section on how students feel about math, are important questions related to the quality of the teachers in their school and the curriculum being taught. Given the survey’s strong emphasis on bullying, the survey decidedly avoids questions on whether they’ve seen other students carrying weapons or doing drugs in the school and how well the school is handling illegal activity.
Students have until April 28 to complete the survey.
The YRDSB, which has not been without its fair share of controversy in recent months, advises students in the survey instructions that it is anonymous and confidential. as well as voluntary.
YRDSB spokesman Christina Choo-Hum said in an e-mail Friday students can “skip questions” and letters are being given to schools to share with parents indicating the “option not to participate.”
But she also confirmed the requisite 30 minutes needed to complete the survey is being provided during the school day.
Asked what will be done with the information, once compiled, Choo-Hum said it provides an important opportunity for “student voice” (sic) and its results will be used to guide school and board level planning to improve student achievement and well-being. (There will also be a staff survey in April and a parent survey next month.)
At the end of January, the education minister called in two ministry-appointed investigators to review the troubled board amid allegations YDRSB mishandled a series of racist incidents and questions of financial accountability. Long-time trustee Nancy Elgie resigned in mid-February over a racial slur she made following a January board meeting.
