Parents and students press Burlington School Committee for answers on youth survey funding and opt-outs

Public commenters at the Burlington School Committee meeting pressed officials Tuesday for more information about how the district’s middle‑school Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) was funded and why some students who had sought to opt out were not removed.

Hilda Darien, a public commenter, said press accounts from 2018 showed the town received a $50,000 grant from the Leahy Clinic to digitize the YRBS and that Leahy later committed $550,000 per year over three years to local programming. “How are we supposed to think anything other than you sold the souls and the innocence of our children for $1,650,000?” Darien asked, referencing the $1,650,000 figure she attributed to Leahy’s multi‑year pledge.

The committee chair told the room the YRBS is not on the agenda because an independent third party is completing an investigation and, on the advice of counsel, the district will not make additional statements until that work is complete. The chair also noted a May 1 posting provided initial details about the review.

Other public commenters made related points. Renee Andronika, a parent, said she was “sympathetic to the parents who are upset that their opt outs were not honored” and urged the district to ensure opt‑out procedures are respected. Seventh‑grader William Manka urged the committee to consider switching from opt‑out to opt‑in for relationship units, and also criticized certain staff conduct and curriculum decisions he said reduce academic focus. Ted Manca and others urged the committee to engage parents in a broader discussion about what should be included in curriculum and what the community expects.

Committee members and staff did not provide new factual clarifications about past Leahy funding at the meeting. The chair reiterated that the independent investigation remains in progress and that some parties have retained counsel, which the chair said could extend the timeline. Several public commenters asked the committee to bring specific answers to the next meeting.

Why this matters: The YRBS and related opt‑out questions have sparked community concern about student privacy, consent and outside funding for district programs. The committee said it is awaiting a completed third‑party review before making further public statements or policy changes.

What’s next: The committee left the matter to the ongoing investigation and asked for further information to be provided when that review is complete. Public commenters requested the committee report back at the next meeting with answers about funding sources and how opt‑out requests were handled.