A brewing parental rights battle has erupted in Burlington, Massachusetts, where parents are taking legal action against Burlington Public Schools after children as young as 11 were subjected to an explicit health survey—despite their parents explicitly opting them out.
In late March, Marshall Simonds Middle School administered the 2025 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, a CDC-developed questionnaire that included graphic questions about sexual acts, drug use, and gender identity. Shockingly, even students whose parents had opted them out were reportedly forced to take the survey. The fallout has been swift, with furious parents filing federal complaints and demanding accountability.
Parents like Adrianne Simeone and David Hanafin are leading the charge, aided by the Massachusetts Liberty Legal Center (MLLC), arguing that the district’s actions violated the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment, a federal law designed to safeguard children and parental authority.
“I felt absolutely sick to think that they were asking such explicit questions to children,” Simeone said, highlighting that while she had responsibly discussed the basics of reproduction with her son, topics like anal sex, oral sex, and sex toys were never part of the conversation — nor should they be at that age.
Hanafin echoed the outrage. “We don’t send our kids to school to be indoctrinated. Teach them to read, write, math, accurate history, and send them home. We’ll take care of the rest,” he said. His 11-year-old daughter, who still writes letters to Santa, was among those forced to take the survey, an experience he described as “inexcusable” and “sickening.”
Despite a prior agreement with school leadership to opt out his children from such content, Hanafin’s trust was shattered when the district ignored the opt-out notifications. Worse, teachers reportedly did not inform students that participation was voluntary, compounding the betrayal of parental rights.
Under pressure, Superintendent Eric Conti issued a public apology, blaming a “mistake” and claiming that some definitions had been added to the survey without the district’s approval. However, the damage had already been done, with the school committee unanimously voting on April 8 to suspend all student surveys and sever financial ties with JSI, the healthcare organization that administered the survey.
The Youth Risk Behavior Survey has been used nationally since 1991, but the 2025 version incorporated new, far more graphic language under the guise of inclusivity. Many parents believe this marked a clear shift from monitoring health trends to pushing explicit ideological content onto minors.
Not all parents agreed with the backlash—one parent at the meeting defended the survey—but the overwhelming consensus from families in the district was unmistakable: the line had been crossed.
Parents like Simeone and Hanafin are now sending a broader message to communities across the country: vigilance is essential. “You need to be an advocate for your child. Don’t wait for something to go wrong,” Simeone urged.
Hanafin similarly warned that fear of being labeled a bigot or transphobe is no excuse to stay silent when parental rights are trampled. “People are so afraid to speak out against the orthodoxy,” he said. “We must not let intimidation silence us.”
The U.S. Department of Education has taken notice. Spokeswoman Julie Hartman reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to protecting parents’ rights, reminding the public, “Children do not belong to the government; they belong to parents.”
