Federal officials launched an investigation Monday into three California school districts accused of violating parental rights laws by asking students to disclose sensitive personal details during class activities without their parents’ knowledge.
The U.S. Department of Education’s Student Privacy Policy Office opened inquiries into the North Monterey County Unified, Palo Alto Unified, and San Francisco Unified school districts.
Investigators are looking into whether the districts broke the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment. Under that federal law, public schools must notify parents and receive written permission before giving students surveys that ask about protected topics. The statute also requires districts to allow parents to review instructional materials upon request…