House passes bill tightening rules on student surveys after bipartisan debate

On Feb. 8, 1999 the Utah House approved House Bill 49, legislation aimed at strengthening parental oversight of surveys and questionnaires given to students in public schools. Representative Hogue, sponsor of the bill, said the measure responds to documented instances where students were presented with intrusive surveys (described as "opinionaires" and "intimacy inventories") and that local school districts had not consistently provided required copies or parental access.

Representative Hogue described sample questions taken from classroom materials, saying some items asked about religious leaders or intimate behaviors and were inappropriate for classroom use without parent notification. He said the bill would require parents be able to obtain copies of surveys and that consent procedures be used where required. The committee added disciplinary procedures to create consequences when existing rules were ignored.

Floor debate raised questions about practical impacts. Representative Styler and others asked whether routine classroom activities—such as mock elections used to teach civics—would be swept up in the law; the sponsor said classroom exercises intended strictly to teach students about government should not be covered if they do not probe political affiliation or other protected categories. Representative Bridal and others argued some enforcement is necessary because the current rules had been violated repeatedly without consequence.

Representative Hogue recited specific examples drawn from recent school materials to illustrate concerns, quoting troubling items and describing them as "opinionaires." After debate and amendments the House passed HB 49 with 57 yes votes and 15 no votes; the bill will be referred to the Senate for further action.