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WEBVTT SHOW MOM. SO WE CAME HOME AND SAID MOM I WANT YOU TO LOOK AT THIS. THEY TOLD ME NOT TO BUT I KNOW YOU WANT TO SEE IT. ROSS: VANESSA BEACH WAS SHCOKED WHEN HER TEN-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER BROUGHT HOME A SURVEY SHE HAD FILLED OUT IN HER FIFTH GRADE CLASS AT WINSOR ELEMENTRY SCHOOL. HAVE YOU BEEN IN A ROMANT LIKE HAVING A PARTNER FOR PLANNED EVENTS LIKE A SCHOOL DANCE, GOING TO THE MOVIES, OR HAVE A SEXUAL PARTNER? MY DAUGHTER IS 10, SO ARE ALL THE OTHER KIDS W TOOK THIS, A SEXUAL PARTNER AT 10 YEARS OLD WOULD BE CALLED ABUSE. ROSS: BEACH SAYS THE SURVEY ALSO ASKED STUDENTS TO DESCRIBE THEIR SEXUAL ORIENTATION AND GENDER IDENTITY. AND WHILE SHE SAYS THAT PROMOTING ACCEPTENCE OF LGBTQ INDIVIDUALS IS IMPORTANT. SHE WORRIES HER DAUGHTER’S CLASSMATES MAY HAVE FELT PRESSURED TO ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS BEFORE THEY WERE READY. >> I WOULD WANT A CHILD TO BE COMPLETELY SECURE IN WHO THEY ARE BEFORE HAVING TO FILL THIS OUT AND WONDERING IF THEY DID IT RIGHT OR FEELING ASHAMED OF IT IN ANY WAY. ROSS: STUDENTS DID NOT HAVE TO WRITE THEIR NAME ON THE SURVEY BUT WERE ASKED TO PUT THEIR FIRST INITIAL AND BIRTHDAY. A NOTICE WAS SENT HOME GIVING PARENTS THE OPORTUNITY TO OPT-OUT, BUT BEACH SAYS NEVER RECEIVED ONE >> I HAD TO SIGN FOR MY CHILD TO BE ABLE TO HAVE HER PICTURES TAKEN AND BE PUT IN THE SCHOOL YEARBOOKS. I HAVE TO SIGN FOR ALL THESE THINGS. I DID NOT SIGN IN ORDER F THEM TO DO THIS. IT FELT A LITTLE UNDERMINING. ROSS: THE SURVEY WAS DONE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH WISE. A DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PREVENTION GROUP THAT RUNS EDUCATION PROGRAMS IN WINDSOR SCHOOLS. THEY SAY THAT HAVE HEARD SOME OF THE CONCERNS ABOUT THE SURVE AND ARE WORKING TO OPEN A DIALOGUE WITH PARENTS ABOUT THEIR WORK. SCHOOL OFFICIALS SAY THEY HAVE ALSO HEARD FROM PARENTS, AND ARE WORKING TO ADRRESS THEIR CONC

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A Windsor parent was shocked to find out her daughter had taken a survey in her fifth-grade class that asked questions about students' sexual history, preference and gender identity."My daughter is 10. So are all the other kids who took this," said Vanessa Beach. "A sexual partner at 10 years old would be called sexual abuse." Beach said she did not take issue with the topics of gender identity and sexuality being discussed in the classroom, but thought the survey was an invasion of her daughter's privacy and asked questions that were not appropriate for her age range. The survey was done by WISE, a domestic violence prevention and advocacy group that runs educational programs in Windsor schools. A notice had been sent to parents about the survey, which gave them the opportunity to opt-out of having their children participate. However, Beach said she never received the form. A researcher connected to the survey said so-called "passive-consent" policies were common in Vermont. A WISE official said students are told before the survey is distributed they are not required to take it and can choose not to without consequence. According to a WISE representative, the questions on the survey were developed with researchers from the University of New Hampshire with whom they were sharing the data collected. Beach said she had voiced her concerns to the school, including the guidance department and had reached out to WISE. School administrators said they had heard some of the parental complaints and are working on addressing them. A WISE representative said the group hoped to use the concerns as an opportunity to open a dialogue with parents about their work. Beach said she appreciates much of the work WISE does to promote awareness and education around domestic violence.