A controversial student survey that asks students about their sexual orientation will go ahead this spring after Ontario's privacy commissioner found that the survey did not violate privacy laws.
The voluntary survey was sent to Ontario's privacy commissioner to be reviewed after parents voiced concerns that the survey was an invasion of privacy.
The survey -- which was scheduled to take place last fall – asks students a variety of questions, including ones about sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, home life and their parents' employment status.
Barrie Hammond, director of education at the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board, said the questions are necessary to ensuring students have a safe, and productive learning environment.
"Research shows that sexual orientation does sometimes have an impact on students' learning environment," said Hammond. "We want to provide students an opportunity to self-identify."
The office of the privacy commissioner did not recommend any changes to the voluntary survey and noted that the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board put reasonable measures in place to prevent the information from being accessed by anyone who isn't authorized to receive that information.
The questions for Grades 7-12 that sparked the most outrage were:
What is your gender?
- Female
- Male
- Transgender
- Prefer not to disclose
How do you identify your sexual orientation? (Please check all that apply.)
- Bisexual
- Gay (male)
- Heterosexual (straight)
- Lesbian (female)
- Queer
- Questioning
- Transsexual
- Two-spirited
- Prefer not to disclose
The questions for JK to Grade 6 that sparked the most concern were:
Does your child feel they belong at their school? If no, do you think it was because of any of the following? (Please check all that apply.)
- Your child's age
- Your child's gender
- Your child's ethnocultural or racial background
- Your child's Aboriginal background (First Nations, Métis, Inuit)
- Your child's first language
- Your child's disability
- Your child's exceptionality
- Your child's grades or marks
- Your child's appearance and/or clothing
- Your child's religion or faith
- Your family's income level
- Your child's sexual orientation
- Your child's perceived sexual orientation
- Your child's perceived body image
- Your family structure/composition
- Your child's activities or hobbies
If your child has been threatened, bullied or harmed by anyone at your current school, do you think it is because of any of the following? (Please check all that apply.)
- Your child's age
- Your child's gender
- Your child's ethnocultural or racial background
- Your child's Aboriginal background (First Nations, Métis, Inuit)
- Your child's first language
- Your child's disability
- Your child's exceptionality
- Your child's grades or marks
- Your child's appearance and/or clothing
- Your child's religion or faith
- Your family's income level
- Your child's sexual orientation
- Your child's perceived sexual orientation
- Your child's perceived body image
- Your family structure/composition
- Your child's activities or hobbies
The school board says many of the questions that raised concern deal with bullying, and the board is putting out the survey to better understand its student population in order to help school officials to better meet student needs.
The school board has put together one survey for students in JK to Grade 6, and another for students in Grades 7-12. The survey for younger grades will be sent home for parents to fill out; students in older grades will complete the survey online at school. If older students want to fill the survey out at home, they can request a hard copy.
Students will also be allowed to skip over questions and parents will be able to fill out a form so their kids won't have to participate.
The school board says parents will be sent a letter with more detail about the survey next week. The survey will take place between April 16 and May 20.
