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Albany student questionnaire has parents ‘flabbergasted’ over ‘inappropriate’ material

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Published  November 18, 2024 3:02pm CST
Education
FOX 9
article

A student questionnaire for freshmen at Albany Area Secondary School in central Minnesota intended to be part of a lesson on communication has parents fuming over material that the school district admits to being "inappropriate."

The Brief

    • Parents of freshmen students at Albany Area Secondary School have taken issue with material reportedly shown during a classroom lesson on communication.
    • After reviewing the question and answer options, the district has since agreed the material was "inappropriate" for students.
    • An investigation determined the material was shown due to negligence on the part of the teacher, and the district is going through its own internal discipline protocols.

ALBANY, Minn. (FOX 9) - A student questionnaire for freshmen at Albany Area Secondary School in central Minnesota intended to be part of a lesson on communication has parents fuming over material that the school district admits to being "inappropriate."

What we know

A concerned parent who asked to remain anonymous reached out to FOX 9 to provide information regarding a student questionnaire provided to freshmen students during the week of Nov. 11-15.

The alleged material asks how they might communicate with their partner a desire to be more "adventurous in the bedroom," offering a range of options in a multiple choice section.

An image of the question shown can be found below:

A copy of the question posed to freshmen students in the Albany School District.

District explanation

When contacted by FOX 9, Albany Area Schools Superintendent Travis Okerlund said the material was part of "a lesson on different communication styles." 

However, once reviewed, he agrees "the question was inappropriate."

"I am looking into how that got missed when this presentation was created, and can assure you we will be using a different resource in the future," Okerlund said in a statement initially released to parents.

On Nov. 15, the district sent a follow-up email to parents saying an investigation found the question's inclusion in the lesson was not intentional, though still negligent and a violation of its conduct policy.

"I want to sincerely apologize for the concern and distress this incident may have caused you and your students," the statement said, which noted that parents were initially notified of the incident 20 minutes after it happened.

The teacher involved will be subject to a disciplinary process, the district says,

What we don’t know

Due to privacy laws and the lack of criminal charges, the district is not identifying the teacher involved.

The Source: FOX 9 reviewed communication between Albany School District staff and parents for information contained in this story.