Want to opt your children out of surveys taken in Fort Worth schools? The deadline is today
The Fort Worth Independent School District is allowing parents to decide whether they want their children to opt-in or out of taking certain surveys.
The new policy follows a handful of grievances and complaints from parents, as well as the findings of stakeholder groups of parents, teachers and other school staff brought together to discuss surveys.
“Fort Worth ISD parents: we hear you, and we have created a process that gives you a greater say in the district surveys your child takes,” the district said in a statement at the beginning of December.
For surveys that are listed as “opt-in,” parents will have to give express permission for their children to participate, and if they do not, the student will not participate by default. Other surveys listed as “opt-out” will automatically be given to students, unless parents elect to opt them out.
Opt-in surveys include Rhithm check-ins, which allow students to choose their mood with an emoji to measure class culture.
In a press release, district officials said stakeholder groups showed that parents wanted advance notice of districtwide surveys administered, the ability to review survey questions and determine their child’s participation in the survey, a clear understanding of why the district conducts surveys and how the data is utilized, and transparency in district protocols.
Parental consent documentation for the following academic year will be included in the 2023-24 student registration process, according to the district.
The following are 2022-23 surveys parents and guardians will be asked to agree to and acknowledge or provide consent for, according to the district:
Consent or Surveys | Parental Survey Consent Needed | Grade Level | Information | Status if Parental Survey Consent is Missing |
Acceptable Use Policy | Agree and Acknowledge | All grades | Agree | |
Prevention Education (state law) | Opt-in | All grades | Texas Education Code Section 38 Texas Senate Bill 9 | Students will not participate |
Districtwide Student Surveys (Title XI, Senior Exit Survey, ESSER, etc.) | Opt-out | 3rd to 12thgrades | Students will participate in the survey | |
Youth Risk Behavior Surveys (YRBS) | Opt-out | 9th to 12thgrades | Students will participate in the survey | |
Rhithm Check-ins | Opt-In | All grades | Students will not participate |
Any changes made to the parental consent of surveys after the online documentation is submitted, or after the portal closes on Jan. 6 must be done in-person by a parent or guardian at the child’s school.
In addition to the opt-out process, parents will soon have the option to review survey questions prior to distribution to students and survey outcomes via a webpage that will be accessible via fwisd.org/surveys.
Students whose parents or guardians do not complete the online parental consent documentation by Jan. 6 will be automatically enrolled or opted out depending on the individual district survey, according to a release.
This story was originally published January 6, 2023 at 12:41 PM.
