Falkirk school pupils sent controversial 'sex survey' leaving parents fuming

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A controversial 'sex survey' pulled by Falkirk Council after an outcry over its content is now being sent to pupils across the district.

The leader of the council's Labour group has said he is angry at the change of heart and is calling for a special meeting of the council to discuss the decision.Falkirk Council's Children's Services says all parents have been given the option not to allow their child to participate in the Scottish Government's health and well-being census.The survey, which has different questions for different age groups, was sent to pupils to get views on a range of issues, including the pressures of school work and bullying.However, the section for pupils in S4 to S6 caused an outcry with explicit questions about pupils' sexual experiences and contraception.One question asks about pupils' sexual experience, with multiple choice answers including “oral sex” and “vaginal or anal sex”.Others ask about contraception methods and what age they were when they had sex for the first time.Pupils from S2 upwards are also asked to reveal if they have used alcohol, tobacco or drugs.When concerns were first raised, Falkirk was one of ten councils that withdrew the survey.But the local authority now says it has "reviewed the contents and various opt-outs" and decided to proceed.A spokesperson for Falkirk Council said: "We originally delayed our position to examine closely any concerns that were raised about the survey prior to Christmas."Following a review of the contents of the survey and the various opt-outs available to both parents/carers and young people themselves, we decided to progress with the survey."Parents/carers received a letter indicating the purpose of the survey and were given the option not to