Montana School District Sued Over Sexually Suggestive Survey of Kids
by Allie Martin and Jody Brown
May 14, 2004
(AgapePress) - A Montana school district is being sued after a child was allegedly forced to take part in a psychological study involving sexually explicit questions without parental permission.The lawsuit claims that in October 2002 the Billings School District No. 2 agreed to allow Montana State University to use the fifth- and sixth-grade classes as human subjects. For the study, children were asked a variety of questions relating to human sexuality. The American Family Association Center for Law & Policy (CLP) is suing the district on behalf of one of those students and her mother, who is upset that school officials subjected her child to the study without her permission.
According to a CLP press release, the study purported to examine the issue of athletics and eating disorders among Native Americans and Caucasians. But the children were provided graphic drawings of the male and female genital areas and asked to circle the drawing that best resembled their own genitals.
In addition, says the press release, all the young girls in the study were required to "tightly pull the shirts back so as to expose the contour of their chests" while photographs were taken by the college students conducting the study.
Steve Crampton, chief counsel with the CLP, says the elementary students were under the impression there was nothing unusual about their participation in the study conducted by the college researchers.
"The school, apparently in an attempt to cooperate, simply turned over -- in this case -- the entire fifth-grade class, but several other classes participated as well," Crampton explains. "They marched the students into the gymnasium and simply told them, 'You will answer these questions.' From the students' perspective, it was just part of the school day."
Crampton contends says the damage inflicted upon the children as a result of the sexually explicit will be long lasting.
"You take innocent little girls and you destroy their innocence by means of this cold, so-called 'scientific' inquiry," he says. "And the school has the audacity to say to the parent, 'Well, it's really your fault in the end anyway. Your child should have spoken up and walked out' -- in spite of the fact that her entire class [was] ordered into the gymnasium."
The AFA attorney says he believes there is something wrong with public schools when grade-school students are "treated like guinea pigs" without parental knowledge.
