Santa Monica : Sex Survey Offends Some
A RAND Corp. survey of Santa Monica High School students may help administrators across the nation combat the onslaught of AIDS, but it also offended some parents, teachers and students in the process with its sexually explicit questions and the short notice with which it was given.
Starting April 2, RAND, a nonprofit research group, questioned students about their knowledge of how the human immunodeficiency virus is transmitted, and about whether they use drugs or engage in high-risk sexual activities, said Connie Jenkins, president of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Board of Education.
The data will be compared with results of surveys to be taken later in the year in an attempt to gauge the effectiveness of AIDS education and condom distribution policies passed by the school board.
The district mailed a letter to parents explaining the survey and giving them the option of keeping their child from participating, Jenkins said.
One parent complained that “if she had read the survey, she wouldn’t have let her child take it,” Jenkins said.
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