U.S. Department of Education Launches Investigations into Three California School Districts Over Student Privacy Concerns

The U.S. Department of Education's Student Privacy Policy Office has opened investigations into North Monterey County Unified School District, Palo Alto Unified School District, and San Francisco Unified School District. The investigations will determine if the districts violated federal parental rights laws by allegedly requiring students to participate in 'Wheel of Power/Privilege' or 'Mapping My Identities' activities as part of mandated 'Ethnic Studies' curricula, without parental consent. These activities reportedly ask students to reveal personal information such as sexual orientations, gender identities, and family economic status.