Arlington Public Schools pays Panorama Education over $90,000 for surveys and training; gives elementary students Panorama surveys asking if they are transgender

Parents Defending Education submitted a public records request to Arlington Public Schools seeking the district’s contracts with Panorama Education. The district provided PDE with three contracts with Panorama Education. The first contract was for one year from October 26, 2021, to October 25, 2022, for a total $29,375. The contract included surveys for students, staff, families, and the community for Social Emotional Learning (SEL).

The second contract was for October 26, 2022, to October 25, 2023, for a total $29,375. This contract also included surveys for students, staff, families, and the community for SEL. The third contract was for October 26, 2023, to October 25, 2024, for $33,000. This contract included surveys and virtual workshops.

PDE also requested the surveys that the school district provided to students and families. The questions often appear to focus on race and gender identity of students. The surveys for students in the third grade through the fifth grade for both the spring and fall semesters of 2023 have questions regarding gender identity. The first question on both surveys asks students: “What is your gender?” An option is, “I use another word (like nonbinary to describe my gender).” The next question asks young students: “Do you identify as transgender?”

Another question on the surveys asks elementary students: “How often do you think about what someone of a different race, ethnicity, or culture experiences?” Another question asks: “At your school, how often are you encouraged to think more deeply about race-related topics?” The last question asks: “How well does your school help students speak out against racism?”

The surveys for the sixth grade through the twelfth grade for the spring and fall semesters of 2023 also ask the same questions regarding gender identity and race.

The surveys for teachers for the spring and fall semesters of 2023 also ask if the teachers are transgender. The surveys additionally ask teachers numerous questions regarding race. These questions include:

• At your school, how often are students encouraged to think more deeply about race-related topics?
• How comfortable are you discussing race-related topics with your students?
• How often do students at your school have important conversations about race, even when they might be uncomfortable?
• When there are major news events related to race, how often do adults at your school talk about them with students?
• How well does your school help students speak out against racism?
• How often do school leaders encourage you to teach about people from different races, ethnicities, or cultures?
• At your school, how often are you encouraged to think more deeply about race-related topics?
• How often do adults at your school have important conversations about race, even when they might be uncomfortable?
• How well does your school help staff speak out against racism?

The family survey for the fall 2023 semester asks parents if they are transgender and if their children identify as transgender. Parents are also asked similar questions as students and teachers regarding race.