Schools across Maryland are conducting a survey called the Maryland School Survey, which cannot be any more ambiguous by its title. What is this survey exactly? The local school and the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) doesn’t want you to know the questions they’re asking your child. The questions contained in the survey are secret and administered by computer.
When an inquiry was made to the Wicomico County Board of Education to review this survey, this was their response:
State law requires that all schools in Maryland survey students and staff about school climate. Per MSDE communications, the school survey questions will not be disclosed or discussed. The survey will never ask a personal question about a staff member or student and the actual survey responses will not be available to the school, LSS, or MSDE.
The survey design will focus on four domains: Environment, Engagement, Relationships, and Safety. All students in grade 5-11 must be provided an opportunity to take the survey. No questions on the survey are covered by the 8 areas in PPRA.
The schoolboard was then contacted, and the parent received no cooperation to the simple question: What are the exact questions that will be asked on this survey? They refused to answer.
Next stop was the MSDE, and this was the response:
Thank you for reaching out regarding the Maryland School Survey. The actual questions from the Maryland School Survey are not released, but you can see the main categories and sample questions used as a model at the following site. https://safesupportivelearning.ed.gov/school-climate-survey-item-bank
The Maryland School Survey for students will measure four domains: safety, environment, engagement, and relationships. Each domain looks at topics and together the domains and topics will provide valuable information about each school’s learning environment.
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The safety domain asks students if they feel safe (physical and emotional), bullying, and controlled-substance abuse.
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The environmental domain asks students about their instructional and physical environment, if school rules are clear and fair, and if good behavior is supported and rewarded.
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The community domain asks students if they are treated equally and they have the opportunity to participate in all school activities, including those that occur outside of the regular school day.
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The relationships domain asks students about the nature of teacher-student and student-student relationships and if their school has a culture of caring and respect.
Student and instructor responses are not maintained by the MSDE after the administration and compilation of survey results. Local school system staff will not have access to student or instructor responses.
Their response may look innocent and accommodating, but it’s not. It’s highly deceptive, and the actual question remains unanswered: What are the exact questions that will be asked on this survey? Not only did the MSDE refuse to provide the answers, they dodged the question and attempted to use decoy sample questions from other states. In addition, the explanation ends with the fact that they are using a third party to gather, compile, and store the survey results, which they won’t disclose the contracted stranger that has your child’s data.
Based on what we discovered, this is a Social Emotional Wellness Survey designed to discover your child’s personal feelings, beliefs, perceptions, behaviors, and how they view and interact with others. This survey conflicts with the federal PPRA (Pupil Protection Rights Act) based on what we do know.
The survey asked if you had done drugs in school, and each survey had a serial number. Teachers had to do it also and the surveys had to be signed out by the teacher.
How many lawsuits have / are been / being filed, since the questions are not provided to the PARENTS and only minors? Who come up with this questionnaire for minors and who gets / has this answers. How do we know these questions are even appropriate for minors. Sounds like another way to indoctrinate minors into SOCIALISM.
Staff taking the survey must agree not to discuss content or questions. Students may have the same requirement. 4 choices from Strongly agree to Strongly disagree to very general questions. No opportunity to add comments. If all student grades got the same questions, then it would have needed to be geared to 5th graders. Assessment: Waste of time and money to design, force feed and administer. Chance of divining anything of use is near zero. Probably by design.
What part of “the local school board has no say in this ” don’t you understand. Neither does the superintend or anyone else locally. The person who is making these weekly post does not understand what the local BOE can and cannot do. The state board has he upper hand.
Survey says: waste of time and money!
Ding ding ding ding!
Why doesn’t someone ask poor seniors on social security how they feel? Not enough money for food, medicine, rent ,l heat or any other necessities. I am 80 years old and no one has ask about my feeling??? It’s because nobody gives a rats ass.
Isn’t it about time we stopped accepting the LOCAL SKOOLS BOARDS HAVING NO AUTHORITY excuse? And by the way, how does that whole Foundation money thing work?
8:48 perhaps you should take the time to investigate what power the Board does have and does not have. Perhaps then you would not be making these negative statements!
What foundation are you speaking about? The Community Foundation has one of their employees running for a Wicomico County BOE seat. Could this be a conflict of interest? They give a lot of money to the Wicomico BOE. Also, A BOE member sits on that board. Can anyone answer my question?