Burlington School Committee Adopts New Student Survey Approval Policies in 4-0-1 Vote

BURLINGTON — September 9, 2025 — Burlington School Committee adopts new student survey policies requiring public approval before any questionnaire reaches students. The committee voted 4-0-1 at its September 9 meeting to approve two separate policies — one governing the Youth Risk Behavior Survey and one covering all other non-academic student surveys — with member Jeremy Brooks abstaining on both, citing inadequate document distribution at the meeting. Under the new framework, the committee must publicly approve each survey and its questions, and separately vote whether to use opt-in or opt-out participation, before any survey is administered. Outside counsel Darren Klein said the policies respond in part to a complaint filed with the U.S. Department of Education's Student Privacy Policy Office, case number 25-0726. The committee also voted unanimously to establish a middle school science club stipend at $500 for year one, raise the Unified Games coordinator stipend from $1,334 to $2,185, and accept the Burlington High School student handbook. Earlier that evening, the Burlington High School Building Committee passed a project cost estimate of $334,769,880 to the Select Board, with town meeting scheduled for September 29.