School Surveys Coming Under Fire

Colorado has been asking middle and high school students about their sex lives and drug use for nearly a quarter of a century in anonymous public health surveys.

But the surveys are under new scrutiny from parents who call them invasive and inappropriate.

The state Board of Education plans to debate next month whether to require parental permission before kids fill out the questionnaires. A bill pending in the state Legislature would do the same.

The surveys are used to chart childhood risk factors. They’re the basis of what the public knows about dangerous behaviors, such as whether kids are smoking more pot now that the drug is legal for adults.

But some conservatives say it’s not appropriate to ask young teens about sex and drugs without consulting their parents first.