You Submitted a Survey Opt-Out. Now What?

Frequently Asked Questions about what to do after you submit an opt-out for your child at school:

Is my child covered for multiple years?

Unfortunately, this is not the case. Most schools require a new survey opt-out form EVERY YEAR. While some opt-outs like those or counseling or Family Life may last the entire duration your child is in public school, an opt-out for social emotional learning (SEL) surveys will only last for one academic year. Please be diligent every August and make sure you have submitted a new form. 

Do I need to confirm that my school received the opt-out form? 

We strongly recommend that you send your school a follow-up email after submission of your form, verifying the form has been received and recorded. Many districts have a parent portal like Parentvue where you can check to see if the form was recorded. If your form hasn’t been recorded, reach out to your school. Notify your child’s teacher that you do not authorize the school to give your child a survey. 

How do I know when my student is scheduled to be given a survey? 

Reach out to your school and request all survey dates. Once you know the dates, keep a list and speak with your child about your stance on certain school surveys. Keep an eye on the calendar and when the dates approach, ask your teacher and school what your child will do during the time the class is taking the survey and reiterate that you do not authorize the school to survey your child. Knowing the survey schedule will also enable you to ask your child after school if they took the survey and confirm what they did instead of the survey.

What do I do if my child came home and told me they were given a survey, even though we opted out?

Contact the school and ask to see a copy of the survey. Contact the teacher and school principal and alert them that you opted your child out of survey participation, but the child was given the survey anyway. Ask the school what assurances they can provide that this will not happen again. If the survey was electronic, ask the school how a child who was opted-out of the survey would receive an active survey link, and ask what information about your child was shared with the survey company to create the link.   

What do I do if my school was not concerned that they gave my child an unauthorized SEL survey?

If your district is unhelpful or continues to give your child unauthorized SEL surveys, file a formal PPRA complaint.

My school said that the PPRA does not apply because the survey is or is not a third-party survey. My school said that due to copyright, I cannot review the survey.

PPRA rights apply to BOTH school-created and third-party surveys. It is the content of the survey that is important, not where the survey originated. Additionally, copyright does not prevent parents and guardians from reviewing a survey (the law refers to it as the right to view and inspect.) Any parent who requests to see a survey, before or after it is administered, has the right to do so.