A routine career survey at a St. Johns County middle school drew attention after students were asked questions about their preferences for bubble baths, their opinions on goats, and whether they had considered extreme body modification.
The worksheet, handed out in a career research class at Liberty Pines Academy, quickly lit up parent group chats and inboxes, drawing sharp complaints from families and even state lawmakers who questioned how those questions ended up in front of kids in the first place.
According to Action News Jax, the quiz was pulled from an online RIASEC career test and included an optional set of 26 research questions where the offbeat prompts appeared. One parent emailed the station and called the survey “sickening,” while State Rep. Kim Kendall told the outlet she had heard from multiple families and added, “As a parent first, I have a lot of questions and somebody needs to answer them.”
The original instrument is hosted on the Open-Source Psychometrics Project, where the RIASEC portion itself consists of 48 career-oriented prompts.
District response
In a statement to Action News Jax, St. Johns County Schools said, “The well-being of our students is always our top priority,” and stressed that the survey is not part of the district’s instructional materials.
The district said the matter has been forwarded to human resources and that it will review procedures for administering surveys while giving teachers clearer guidance on vetted materials that actually belong in the classroom.
Where lawmakers fit in
State Rep. Kim Kendall is already in the middle of a parental-rights push in Tallahassee. She is sponsoring a bill that would require school districts to let parents review and opt out of surveys or questionnaires given to their children.
The bill’s text outlines a parental right to review, inspect and consent to school surveys. For the proposal’s language, see the Florida Senate.
What happens next
The district announced it will strengthen its vetting process and provide teachers with guidance on approved materials while human resources reviews the classroom incident. The discussion over bubble baths, goats, and body modification has also highlighted a broader debate in St. Johns over who determines what students are asked in schools, a debate that has now reached the statehouse.
