Seattle parents fight back against public school survey on gender identity, sexual orientation

According to National Review, the survey, known as the state’s “Check Yourself Survey,” is administered in every Seattle middle school and high school and includes questions that students as young as 10 years old are required to answer. The prompts reportedly touch on sensitive topics ranging from sexual attraction and gender identity to mental health and problems at home.

The survey asks students to complete questions such as “I am most likely to have a crush on,” followed by a list of possible answers that includes “all genders” and “males and females.” Another prompt reads, “About Me: I identify as,” and offers options such as “questioning my gender identity” and “non-binary.” Students were also reportedly asked to select their “top goals” for the coming year, with “be in a romantic relationship” listed as one of the choices.

Some students appear to have resisted the questions, according to responses cited by the outlet. One student reportedly wrote, “No, I’m also twelve,” while another asked, “Why do you want to know my sexual orientation,” and another responded, “I never want to do this again.”

The questionnaire extends beyond identity-related topics and includes questions about smoking, drinking, drug use, suicidal ideation, and personal struggles at home. It also asks students about behavior issues, including “fighting or physically hurting others.” The survey has reportedly been taken by roughly 67,000 students since it began nearly a decade ago.

A major point of concern for parents is the handling of the data collected. National Review reported that the information was allegedly shared with several third parties, including Seattle Children’s Hospital Research Institute and King County, which includes Seattle. The US Department of Education’s Student Privacy Policy Office is already investigating the Seattle-area schools.

Parents quoted by the outlet said they were never told about the sexual nature of some survey questions or that the information would be shared beyond the school system. Nearly two dozen parents reportedly signed a letter insisting that schools should obtain written permission before administering the survey. Seattle mother Stephanie Hager told National Review that parents deserve the right to make informed decisions before their child participates in a program that could disclose sensitive health-related or personally identifiable information. “If parents want to sign their kids up for a program that releases their health information and their personally identifiable information, that is their decision, but every parent deserves to make this decision under informed written consent,” she said. Hager also argued that the records are highly valuable because the information is difficult to obtain directly from minors.

A 2024 report from the King County Ombudsman’s Office found “no evidence” of wrongful disclosure of private student information by King County. However, the report also acknowledged that one school district released “sensitive student identifying information” several years ago. The survey has also received significant federal funding. Seattle Public Schools reportedly used a $1.5 million federal grant in 2025, connected to the survey, funded by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Two grassroots initiatives circulating in Washington are likely to qualify for consideration by the Washington State Legislature and the November ballot. According to Let’s Go Washington, the group behind the initiatives, IL26-001, that protects parents’ rights by strengthening communication between parents and schools, already has 383,191 signatures, while IL26-638, which will keep boys out of girls’ sports, has 414,719. LGW told The Ari Hoffman Show on Talk Radio 570 KVI that it expects at least another 20,000 signatures to come in this week, which puts both initiatives well past the threshold to qualify in advance of the Jan 2 deadlines.