The parents of students who were subjected to “diversity” activities that involved revealing deeply personal information about themselves and loved ones have issued a letter about the incidents.

“The parents of Wake County Public Schools need to know what is taking place in their child’s classrooms and how the school district took steps to cover it up and mislead parents,” the letter says.

Earlier this month, a “Diversity Inventory” worksheet was given to 10th grade honors English students at Heritage High. The worksheet asked for personal information about the age, gender, race/ethnicity, sexuality, religion, and socioeconomic status for the students and also for their family or whomever they live with, their doctor, their elementary school peers, close friends, and teachers.

The Heritage parent letter describes how English teacher Melissa Wilson had been told during the prior 2018-19 school year to discontinue the activity after parents complained. According to the letter, parents had been told at that time by Heritage High’s principal that the lesson would continue to be taught but would be “modified” to be more sensitive to student’s privacy.

“The students did not do the lesson “privately” but as a whole in the classroom. The Stick Figure papers were collected by Ms. Wilson breaking Federal Privacy Laws,” the parent letter says.

In addition, the parent letter describes how Wilson not only went on to do the same lesson in the current school year, but she added the Diversity Inventory worksheet to it. It was also revealed in the letter that a second 10th grade English teacher at Heritage High, Ms. Lowe, had also engaged in a similar activity.

The parents expressed their frustration with trying to get “accurate information” on the Diversity worksheet from the school and the district, but state that “we have yet to receive an answer that is complete or truthful.”

“What parents have received was very questionable information from the teacher, principal, and district that shows that information may not be accurate,” the letter states.

Related: The likely origin of the “Diversity Inventory” given out at a #WCPSS school 

On September 13, a memo went out to all Wake County teachers outlining the legal parameters for what teachers can and can’t include in “diversity” lessons in order to avoid running afoul of district policies and federal student privacy laws.

That memo was co-written by Drew Cook, the Wake County Public Schools Assistant Superintendent for Academics and Dr. Rodney Trice, Assistant Superintendent for Equity Affairs.

Read the full Heritage High letter: