Survey Of Fairfield Students To Continue To Include LGBTQ+ Questions

FAIRFIELD, CT — A February 2023 survey of Fairfield Public School students in grades 7 through 12 that looks at various social, substance and mental health issues will remove "transgender" but retain questions about the LGBTQ+ community, the Board of Education decided this month.

The Fairfield Cares survey, the results of which help formulate efforts to assist students, has asked about transgender identity since 2014, but the organization amended the survey to streamline it, while still collecting important data, according to officials.

Additionally, the survey's language about opting out entirely, or skipping certain questions, has been strengthened to make it more clear that families and/or students do not need to participate in it if they do not want to.

"It was felt that isolating transgender from the other LGBTQ community members did not make sense," wrote Catherine T. Hazlett, program director for Fairfield Cares, in a statement to the board. "There is no utility in inquiring only about transgender students; therefore, it is recommended to delete [that] question."

State Rep. Cristin McCarthy Vahey, speaking as a Fairfield parent and co-Chair of Fairfield Cares, said in essence, the overall spirit of the survey has not changed.

"This survey is an opportunity for our students to tell us who they say they are, not who anyone else thinks, might guess or assume they are," she said.

Of the 1,300 middle and high school students who participated in the survey in 2021, 13 percent identify as LGBTQ+, according to parent Jacqueline Bush.

"Please note that this survey is anonymous, optional and answered by students directly on Survey Monkey without teacher input," Bush said.

Some Fairfield parents expressed concerns to board members and Fairfield Cares that the previous survey was inappropriate. Additionally, some board members voiced concerns over omitting transgender from the survey when it had been asked about in the past.

Parent Erica Garvey said that Fairfield residents support the LGBTQ community, but that the previous survey went too far with some questions. "Asking an 11-year-old girl who she prefers to be sexually active with" is not appropriate.

"We want Fairfield Cares to continue to do the great work that it does, but the original survey crossed the line," Garvey said.

At its Dec. 13 meeting, the board approved the amended survey by a 7-2 vote, with members Carol Guernsey, Jessica Gerber, Jennifer Maxon-Kennelly, Jeff Peterson, Bonnie Rotelli, Christine Vitale and Chair Jennifer Jacobson voting in favor; Vice Chair Nick Aysseh and member Crissy Kelly opposing.

Parent Dabney Bowen, who has a child who identifies as LGBTQ, said her child and others can feel ostracized either at school or at home. By including gender and sexual identity questions in the survey, the town can help identify the needs of these students.

"These kids need our support," Bowen said.

Wendy McCaffery, a licensed clinical social worker and lesbian with two teenage children, said approving the new language will help elevate the town's LGBTQ community.

"There's ample evidence that queer youth are at a higher risk for mental health difficulties, suicidality and substance abuse concerns, which is why it's imperative that we include every student voice when developing programming and services to address their specific needs," McCaffery said.

Emily Melnick, a consultant who helped analyze the Fairfield Cares survey data, said in a prepared statement that identifying subpopulations among the town's youth, especially those who identify as LGBTQ+, is important.

"It is particularly important for us to monitor, over time, the outcomes of LGBTQ+ students, as existing research demonstrates they have greater at-risk outcomes and lower protective factors," Melnick wrote.