TCSS: 'Oversight' Results In Survey With Gender Identity, Pronoun Questions For Students

TUSCALOOSA, AL — The Tuscaloosa County School System told Echols Middle School parents on Thursday that an innocent oversight resulted in some students receiving a survey geared toward special needs individuals, which included questions relating to their gender identity, personal pronouns and sexual activity.

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The response from TCSS on Thursday was prompted by a Facebook post shared from a personal account that featured screenshots of the survey, in addition to some of the aforementioned questions. It also comes at a time when the state of Alabama just passed one of the most restrictive laws in the country against members of the LGBTQ community with respect to its public schools.

TCSS explained on Thursday that the survey was a resource made available to the school system through the Alabama State Department of Education.

According to Echols Middle School Principal Jason Stapp, the 16-page document measures independent living skills in areas such as money management, career and education, housing, relationship skills, communication, and more.

"The purpose of the survey was to gather information from special education students, related to employment and life after high school, so that we can begin preparing them as they enter high school," he said in a statement sent to parents. "You may be aware of posts on social media, referencing a survey that was recently given to a group of students at our school. We wanted to share with you the full context of the situation, and our response to it."

In a copy of The Casey Life Skills (CLS) survey obtained by Patch, the 126-question document focuses on daily living, self-care, relationships and communication, housing, money management, and transportation, work and study life, career and education planning, civic engagement, navigating the child welfare and "looking forward."

Stapp then addressed the oversight, saying the document was lengthy and selected based solely on its life skills questions.

"We regret this oversight, as the content was not appropriate for middle school, and it was not the intent of the teacher or Echols administration to gather this information," he said. "There are also posts on social media that indicate it was the intention of Echols staff for students not to discuss the content of the survey with their parents or guardians. That is incorrect."

Indeed, the survey states the questions are for ages 14-21, which likely omits most Echols Middle School students. And while the survey does lead with a check-box questionnaire with demographic information, the rest of the document is much more basic and geared toward older students in its inquiries.

Among the questions ...

'I know how to reheat leftover food using a microwave or stove safely'

'I know how to access telehealth when I need it'

'I am aware of my racial or ethnic identity'

'I know how to get my credit score'

'I know how to look for safe and affordable housing'

'I know how to get notified of my court hearings'

Stapp said once TCSS and Echols officials were made aware of the survey, the school system contacted the Alabama Board of Education. TCSS leadership was informed that the survey was created by an outside organization and had recently been updated from its previous version to include the additional questions.

As part of the update, Casey Life Skills mentioned on its website that it has worked with foster care alumni, resource parents, agency staff and life skills experts to help guide these revisions through a lens of diversity, equity and inclusion.

Casey Family Program was founded in 1966 and reportedly operates or offers its services in all 50 states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and with tribal nations across North America to "influence long-lasting improvements to the well-being of children, families and the communities where they live."

The last update to its toolkit was released in January.

It's important to note that just this month, Alabama Republican Gov. Kay Ivey signed a bill into law requiring students to use bathrooms corresponding to their sex at birth, in addition to prohibiting discussion of gender and sexual identity in lower grades.

"We have instructed our teachers to use another survey tool, and the ALSDE has removed this resource from its recommended list," Stapp said. "This was all done prior to social media posts that began circulating yesterday [April 13], regarding this concern."

Stapp then stressed the importance of diligence in reviewing any material the school system provides to its students.

"We take this very seriously," he said. "We are also thankful to those who reached out directly to administration about your concerns over this issue, to get accurate information about the situation and help us address the concern. We appreciate your communication and investment in your students’ education."

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