N.J. school violated student rights with equity and diversity survey, feds find [Video]

Cedar Grove School District violated a federal law protecting student privacy when it sent out an “equity and diversity” survey that asked questions relating to religious affiliation and income, the U.S Department of Education concluded in an investigation.

The investigation by the department’s Student Privacy Policy Office was conducted after several Cedar Grove parents filed complaints in 2021 alleging the district failed to properly notify guardians about the survey and provide them with the opportunity to opt students out.

“The parents of Cedar Grove finally have been fully vindicated, as they knew from the very beginning that the surveys their children were compelled to take without their prior knowledge or consent violated both state and federal laws,” said Patricia Montana, a Cedar Grove mother who filed federal complaints against the district along with other parents.

Superintendent Peter Turnamian distanced the current administration from the survey, writing in an email Thursday that because “these events occurred prior …