WARNS. Interesting acronym for a survey being pushed by the state Department of Education, Washington State University and public schools statewide.
The Washington Assessment of the Risks and Needs of Students has been around a few years, but largely disappeared during the coronavirus shutdowns — when students were at home and parents would have an opportunity to see it, read the questions and determine appropriateness. But now that classes are back in-person statewide, the social-emotional learning program is rearing its head again.
With an acronym like WARNS, parents should take it as a warning before they say OK to allowing their children to take the survey.
What is the survey? Administrators will tell you it is a series of questions designed to “understand” students.
Interestingly, they won’t willing tell you what questions will be asked of students. And if you search for the actual questions online, you’ll be hard-pressed to find any.
Why the secrecy?
Are they about drugs? Alcohol? Sex? Race?
Those administering the test are asking parents to blindly accept the survey with a simple opt-in signature required. But parents reading the fine print will see that the survey promises to ask “personal” and possibly “embarrassing” questions.
That begs the question: What personal and embarrassing questions can be applied to directly improve academics, the primary reason students are required to attend school.
Washington State University’s documents show there is no direct benefit to students. So why are they asking questions they won’t first ask parents?
That’s simple — the survey is an end run around parental control of education. It mirrors the state’s efforts to give preferential treatment to some students based on race or being part of a so-called “protected class.”
Washington State University documents further promise students’ answers will remain confidential. Yet, students taking the survey get an identification number accessible to school employees. Each student’s survey answers are also to be kept on campus after they are provided to Washington State University.
With all the secrecy behind the questioning and the push for race-based educational programs, parents would do well to demand a copy of the survey questions to determine for themselves if they are appropriate to ask their children. Parents should also demand access to the answers provided by their child.
Without full knowledge of the questions being asked and the ability to read their children’s answers, parents would be wise not to allow their child to be asked personal and embarrassing questions outside of their presence.
Rather than spending time on social-emotional learning programs, the state, Washington State University and public should focus on reading, writing and arithmetic.
Students who can read and write, add and subtract have a better chance to succeed in the real world after they graduate.
Roger Harnack is the owner/publisher of Free Press Publishing. Having grown up Benton City, Roger is an award-winning journalist, columnist, photographer, editor and publisher. He's one of only two editorial/commentary writers from Washington state to ever receive the international Golden Quill. Roger is dedicated to the preservation of local media, and the voice it retains for Eastern Washington.
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