Education A Washington Roundup

House Criticizes Court’s School Sex-Survey Ruling

By Andrew Trotter — November 29, 2005 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

The House has passed a resolution accusing the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit of undermining the rights of parents to direct the upbringing of their children. The House action stems from a recent ruling in a case involving the distribution of a survey with questions about sex to elementary school pupils.

A three-judge panel of the San Francisco-based court ruled unanimously Nov. 2 that the Palmdale, Calif., school district was within its rights to distribute the survey, which asked, among other questions, how often the children found themselves “thinking about having sex.”

The House resolution passed by a voice vote Nov. 16 urged a larger panel of the full 9th Circuit court to rehear the case “in order to reverse this constitutionally infirm ruling” in Fields v. Palmdale School District.

The parents’ lawyer has told reporters that they will appeal the ruling.

Events

Student Well-Being & Movement K-12 Essentials Forum How Schools Are Teaching Students Life Skills
Join this free virtual event to explore creative ways schools have found to seamlessly integrate teaching life skills into the school day.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Special Education Webinar
Bridging the Math Gap: What’s New in Dyscalculia Identification, Instruction & State Action
Discover the latest dyscalculia research insights, state-level policy trends, and classroom strategies to make math more accessible for all.
Content provided by TouchMath
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School & District Management Webinar
Too Many Initiatives, Not Enough Alignment: A Change Management Playbook for Leaders
Learn how leadership teams can increase alignment and evaluate every program, practice, and purchase against a clear strategic plan.
Content provided by Otus

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Opinion The Opinions EdWeek Readers Care About: The Year’s 10 Most-Read
The opinion content readers visited most in 2025.
2 min read
Collage of the illustrations form the top 4 most read opinion essays of 2025.
Education Week + Getty Images
Education Quiz Did You Follow This Week’s Education News? Take This Quiz
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Education Quiz How Did the SNAP Lapse Affect Schools? Take This Weekly Quiz
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Education Quiz New Data on School Cellphone Bans: How Much Do You Know?
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read