Letter: Survey for middle-schoolers goes too far
Dear Steamboat Springs,
21. Have you ever had a sexual experience where you were unsure if you received fully-granted consent from the other person?
26. Have you ever forced someone to have sex with you when you knew they did not want to?
74. Did you drink alcohol or use drugs before you had sexual intercourse the last time?
75. The last time you had sexual intercourse, did you or your partner use a condom?
36. Have you ever seriously thought about killing yourself?
38. Have you ever tried to kill yourself?
61. How old were you when you tried marijuana for the first time?
71. If you wanted to get a drug like cocaine, LSD (also called acid), amphetamines, or another illegal drug, how easy would it be for you to get some?
These are a handful of the questions that will be part of a survey given to our 11, 12 and 13-year-old middle-schoolers on Friday, Jan. 7. Overall, 15% of the questions are sexual in nature, and 30% are about drug use.
This should be an opt-in survey, not an opt-out, like it currently is. School board and school staff, with all due respect, please honor the parent-child relationship and reschedule this survey as an opt-in. Please err on the side of less participation while respecting families and children rather than on gathering survey information.
Jeremy MacGray
Steamboat Springs
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