CMS leader says common sense was lacking over survey questions

CHARLOTTE — Charlotte-Mecklenburg School Board Chair Elyse Dashew said there was a communication breakdown over the student engagement survey and that common sense was lacking when questions about sexual orientation and gender identity were asked to students as young as fifth grade.

"Somebody's common sense took a spectacular vacation," Dashew said. "There was some common sense lacking in how those questions were added to the survey, the process in which they were added and the wording of the questions. We are looking into that."

CMS Superintendent Earnest Winston told Channel 9 on Tuesday that a human resources investigation has been launched to determine who is responsible for adding the questions and how they ended up on the survey.

Questions on the survey included:

How do you describe your gender identity? (check one)

Male
Female
Non-binary
Gender fluid

Do you identify as transgender?

Yes
No
Not sure

Which of the following best describes your sexual orientation?

Straight/heterosexual
Gay or Lesbian
Bisexual
Pansexual
Asexual
Questioning my sexual orientation
Other

All students fifth through 12th grade were given the survey, but it wasn’t until sixth grade that they’re asked about sexual orientation.

Dashew said those questions were not a required part of the survey and students were not required to answer them.

CMS drops question asking students about sexual orientation, gender identity in survey

After this story broke last week, CMS said the survey was conducted to comply with Title IX, a federal law that protects people from discrimination. But school board member Margaret Marshall said it’s the result of a finding by the Office of Civil Rights. A spokesperson for CMS did not respond to questions about what the findings are related to. The Department of Education is looking into inquiries made by Channel 9.

"There were some lapses. We are working to figure out why that happened," Marshall said. "That won't happen again. We will communicate more with our families in the future."

The survey closes on Friday. The questions have been removed. Participation for the survey currently sits around 30%, according to Dashew.

While it no longer contains those questions, Rebby Kern with Equality NC said the district could have benefited from the information. Kern said that it would help allow CMS to continue to provide programming, inclusive curriculum and social and emotional support for students that need it most.

“We know that data representation truly matters,” Kern said. “The reality is that students are coming out about their gender identity and romantic and sexual orientations earlier than most folks know to be,” Kern said.

Human resources investigates controversial survey given to CMS students Human resources investigates controversial survey given to CMS students

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