Grade school kids forced to take DEI surveys without parental consent in blue state school district: watchdog

Conservative watchdog legal group American First Legal (AFL), says it has achieved a significant "victory" in a New Jersey school district after the U.S. Department of Education deemed the school system to have acted unlawfully by not providing an opt-out option for "equity" and "diversity" surveys handed out to students.

"When we're talking about things like gender identity and other sensitive issues, there is the very real issue of, this is also being used almost as an educational tool, to push these concepts on kids," senior advisor Ian Prior told Fox News Digital in an interview. "So, it's really a dual concern. What are these surveys being used for, as far as data collection, but how are these surveys being used to essentially normalize things that parents and students may have objections to?"

In Cedar Grove, New Jersey, the local school district distributed surveys on sensitive topics like religion, family income, and gender identity without giving parents a chance to opt out. After parents filed complaints with both the state and federal education departments in mid-2021, the New Jersey Board of Education ruled that the district had violated state law.