Board approves Williams Field student-council overnight trip after parents raise privacy concerns about camp activities

The governing board approved an overnight and out-of-state travel request for Williams Field High School's student council after members asked that the event agenda be attached to permission slips and shared with parents. The amended motion passed 3-1 with one abstention.

A board member said she reviewed archived materials on the azstuco.org site and flagged two activities listed in the camp materials: a "gender activity" and an "identity circle." The speaker read examples of invasive or highly personal prompts she said were in archived resources, including questions about carrying condoms, dressing provocatively, parental structure and sexual orientation. She said such items pressure students to disclose sensitive personal information and argued the district should obtain written parental consent before administering activities that solicit personal data. She cited state law requiring written informed consent before administering surveys that solicit personal information.

District staff and the trip sponsor replied that parents must sign permission slips for the trip and that sponsors said much of what appears on archived websites are not currently used or are outdated. Board members asked that the agenda be provided to parents along with permission slips and that the district add a permission component for potentially sensitive activities. One board member said the district will send a second permission slip with the agenda and a survey/permission element before students attend. Another board member said the sponsor would provide the agenda.

Ending: The board approved the travel request with an amendment that the trip agenda be distributed with permission slips; staff said they would ensure the agenda and any sensitive-activity permissions are provided to parents before the trip.