Trump administration investigates 3 California school districts over 'Wheel of Privilege' survey

Molly Gibbs, The Mercury News on Oct 26, 2026

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SAN JOSE, Calif. — The U.S. Department of Education opened investigations into Palo Alto, San Francisco and North Monterey County school districts Monday for allegedly violating parental rights laws by requiring students to participate in “Wheel of Power/Privilege” and “Mapping my Identities” activities.

The districts did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The department’s probe alleges that the districts required students to reveal “intimate” details about themselves and their families in ethnic studies courses — a class examining the history of race and ethnicity in the United States with an emphasis on the experiences of people of color.

The course has been highly controversial throughout the state, with California initially requiring schools to offer a course in ethnic studies beginning in the 2025-26 year. But due to a lack of state funding for the requirement — and amid curriculum clashes in districts throughout the state over the mandate — the requirement has not yet been enforced.

The U.S. Department of Education’s probe alleges that the three districts required students to participate in activities and “invasive questionnaires” in ethnic studies courses without parental consent or knowledge.

The Department notes two activities, a “Wheel of Power/Privilege” and “Mapping My Identities,” which the department alleges asks students to identify personal information, including their sexual orientations, gender identities, mental and physical health conditions, family economic status and race.

In the probe, the Department alleges students were then asked to determine their “privilege status” based on the information they provided and districts were not responsive to parental requests to review the course curriculum or only allowed parents to review parts of it.

The investigations center around whether the three districts violated the “Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment” — a federal law passed in 1978 that requires schools to notify parents and obtain their written consent before surveying students on topics that would reveal protected information, including political affiliations, mental health history, “sex behavior or attitudes,” religious beliefs and income.

The Department said Monday that violations of the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment can lead to enforcement actions and potential loss of federal funding.

“Schools in California seem to be collecting a myriad of protected and private information on students without involving parents, raising serious concerns that they deliberately keep parents in the dark about the most sensitive information pertaining to their children,” said Frank Miller, director of the Student Privacy Policy Office. “Students should not be pressured into identifying intimate details about themselves and their families without parental awareness and consent. Education leaders in California must stop undermining parental rights and we will work with these Districts to bring them into full compliance with federal laws.”

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