Inappropriate CAP Cadet Survey

[Spam]

One of my dependents, a cadet, has just received a "Civil Air Patrol Cadet Survey" (via email link to Surveymonkey) from the "noreply@capnhq.gov" address.  The survey's front page states, quote:


"This survey is confidential. CAP National Headquarters will NOT [emphasis in original] let your squadron or wing leaders know how you've answered. You won't be punished in any way for the answers you give. You have total freedom to answer honestly and to the best of your ability.  Thank you, CAP National Cadet Team, cadets@capnhq.gov".

Then, question #2 asks if the adolescent respondent is female, male, or "transgender". Later questions (#8) ask these minors to divulge their disability status, mentioning dyslexia and autism, and if the cadet receives "free or reduced-price lunches at school" (#10).


On a personal level, I frankly am disgusted that someone on our National CP team is trolling minor children in our care regarding their sexuality with question two, after emphasizing that no one will know their answers.  I view this as a complete violation of our trust, and on a lesser level, I am equally disturbed that National HQ is asking minors to self report de facto information on their families income status and their own disability status. If that is that not considered voluntarily provided, protected information, how come CAP is requesting this sensitive information from minors who cannot legally consent to its provision?

How does NHQ/CP get off, pushing this leading question about sexuality to my kids while promising no one will tell?

As a parent, I am furious.

Ned - or anyone else - any info on this?

V/R,
Spam

[vorteks]

+1

This kind of thing is among the reasons I keep my kids out of public schools.

[Paul_AK]

+1

This kind of thing is among the reasons I keep my kids out of public schools.

+1 My wife and I homeschool because of junk like this. I just got done defending CAP in another thread and then find this. I might end up changing my mind after all, considering my membership is up this month.

[Nuke52]

Kids, take it from me... don't drink and drive, er, post.

Disregard all after good morning.

[MSG Mac]

Have you contacted National Headquarters about this? 1-877-277-9142 X401 or clafond@capnhq.gov.

[lordmonar]

And this is why people hate CAPTALK,   

[Ned]

How DARE you question us? 

(Sorry, couldn't resist.    )

Please, absolutely question us.  And then listen to our responses.

The survey is a follow-on the the CEAP money that the Air Force so kindly bestowed on us.  I'm sure you remember the nearly a half million dollars that we spent on helping cadets get to encampment this summer (plus some additional corporate funds set aside for the upcoming winter encampments.)

Please recall that the money was prioritized by family need.  Priority 1 cadets were financially needy cadets that self-certified that they received some form of government aid. We filled each and every request for assistance from Priority 1 cadets, including full encampment costs, per diem, and even uniform assistance.  We also fulfilled the great majority of the Priority 2 cadets (no government assistance received, but still needy due to personal circumstances, multiple cadets in the same family attending encampment, etc.)

Both the Air Force and CAP really, really want the program to continue in the out years.  Really, really.  Because we believe it substantially boosted encampment attendance, and one of the stakeholders in this process is the Air Force who believes that encampment is a Good Thing for cadets.  To the point where they invested over a half million dollars in our program.

Now we need to prove that we are being good guardians of the taxpayers's funds.  The AF hired the Rand Corporation (yes, THAT Rand Corporation) to help establish some metrics to show that encampment attendance measurably improves cadet retention and performance, and that we directed the funds to needy cadets who might not otherwise have attended encampment.

So their scientists designed the survey.  Which went out to every cadet.  And a nearly-identical survey that was sent out to every parent that had a good email in eServices.  Senior CAP leaders were pre-briefed on the survey and approved the distribution.

The survey needs to include demographic information in order to validate the objectives of outreach to needy CAP families.  Which was one of the conditions that the AF imposed when they gave us the money.  And in this case demographic information includes things like family income.  The survey also includes questions about CAP participation, which is necessary to establish whether anything got better after the encampment experience.  It was sent to all cadets and parents so that we could meaningfully compare CEAP participants against non-participants.  Which is the whole point of the survey.  To help prove that encampment is a Good Thing and measurable improves cadet retention and performance.

When the Rand folks heard that we have some self-identified transgender cadets, they included that question in the survey to help measure whether that particular group of cadets is underserved by CAP and/or CEAP.

Really not much more to it.  Both the AF and CAP want the program to continue.  But when you are spending hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars, you have to be able to justify it objectively.

Which is all the survey is trying to do.

I'm on the road for the next few days, but will try to check in and answer any additional concerns.  I think I have a pretty good track record here for transparency.


Ned Lee
Col, CAP
National Cadet Program Manager

[kwe1009]

I don't see what the big deal is unless the survey is asking the person to also identify themselves by name or CAPID.  When it comes to deciding who is getting government money, these types of demographics are used to make that decision.

[Airplane girl]

I overall think the survey is a good idea.

But there is one thing I want to mention. I don't want to be that annoying person. I also don't know any transgender cadets who have answered this survey, so I don't know what they think. I'm just writing this because I know that words are important in the LGBTQ+ community. But knowing a few people who identify as being gender non binary, most of the time on surveys and stuff people put "other" as the choice for transgender people. That's because "other" can include people who are gender fluid, agender, ect. I don't remember the exact words the survey used, but if it's referring to gender then there could be a cadet who identifies as female, and that is her gender. While her sex may be male, her gender is female. So she is transgender and female at the same time.

[Paul_AK]

For those who may think people are jumping the gun on this my family takes this very seriously. There is all sorts of data mining from many sources going on in regards to education and the common core initiatives which I find concerning. And while the purpose makes sense, the execution and wording is what I'm apprehensive about and would like clarification on. And since I don't have any children of cadet age yet to read the survey first person, I would like to ask:

Was the survey structured so all responders were anonymous? Much in the same way a Unit Climate Assessment survey is for the Air Force (if that is familiar to you)? Or is it merely we won't tell what you told us?

Was there pre-notification regarding the survey? Or will a notice be sent to the units trying to get a hold of parents in regards to what is being asked?

Is the future of the program contingent on this survey?

If they were trying to identify if the program worked why wasn't it sent to only program participants and applicants? What is the need for the data from those who didn't use the program?

Weren't demographics supplied through the applications and existing Cadet records and verifiable through attendance records? Special needs cadets are (or at least should be) identified prior to encampments and activities.

I think the most concerning part for me is the separate e-mail to both parent/guardian and minor/child. Why duplicate? Why not survey the family? The precedent exists, but sending out two different messages both seeking such highly personal information seems like an attempt to check answers against each other. That might seem a little conspiratorial for some but with some major overreaches from differing sources going on I believe in prudence and clarification.

[Paul_AK]

I'm just writing this because I know that words are important in the LGBTQ+ community.

Words and actions are important to everyone. To me, family is everything. And I will raise my children to the best of my abilities. Not to get too personal, but my views come from my own experiences and observations in public school which was intrusive, demeaning, and all together unpleasant. Many of my teachers (from 5th grade until I turned to homeschool in 9th grade, and I then noticed the same trend in college) had given up educating and were pushing their world view onto highly impressionable youth. Especially before critical thinking skills had truly been cemented. So, when you remove a child from the home environment and place him or her into the care of another for a handful of hours or days at a time one can only react when the information comes along and request clarification. There are many issues right now in regards to how the changes to education are being implemented and the information being presented. Basically anything that attempts to circumvent parental rights and push views onto a child is a disquieting thought, even if at a later point the evidence proves that I did initially jump the gun.

[HGjunkie]

I just spent 5 minutes to take the survey and thought it was reasonable. Perhaps younger cadets may want some form of supervision while taking it from their parents, but older cadets should be more than capable of doing it by themselves. It was non-specific in the way it asked the questions and I thought it was generally appropriate, even a little too general which was  mitigated by the last comment box (allowing me to clear up my lack of participation in the last year).

[almostspaatz]

I'm just writing this because I know that words are important in the LGBTQ+ community.

Words and actions are important to everyone. To me, family is everything. And I will raise my children to the best of my abilities. Not to get too personal, but my views come from my own experiences and observations in public school which was intrusive, demeaning, and all together unpleasant. Many of my teachers (from 5th grade until I turned to homeschool in 9th grade, and I then noticed the same trend in college) had given up educating and were pushing their world view onto highly impressionable youth. Especially before critical thinking skills had truly been cemented. So, when you remove a child from the home environment and place him or her into the care of another for a handful of hours or days at a time one can only react when the information comes along and request clarification. There are many issues right now in regards to how the changes to education are being implemented and the information being presented. Basically anything that attempts to circumvent parental rights and push views onto a child is a disquieting thought, even if at a later point the evidence proves that I did initially jump the gun.

A friend of mine told me last year that in his graduating class there was a student who could not read or write, our education system has radically changed when you get a diploma for showing up for 12 years instead of having to *gasp* learn something

[JC004]

I didn't receive anything from NHQ about this survey going out. 

At a minimum, I would think that we in command positions should receive notification that our cadets are being surveyed - if for no other reason, to at least allow us to mention it to the cadets.  I'd think every CC, Deputy CC for Cadets, or Deputy CC in cadet squadrons, should get notification.  I don't see anything in e-mail. 

I found out about it because cadets expressed concern about the personal nature of these questions.  I sure don't like finding out that way, especially if we're going to get questions from parents about the personal nature of the questions.  Did I miss a notification? 

[Spam]

COL Lee, thanks for the reasoned reply and dash of humor (appreciated).

While I appreciate the underlying reasons, as a parent I am still furious, and have to tell you that I'd have expected more forethought here. Those of us who do NOT have parental emails linked to their cadets profiles in eServices have nonetheless had our minor children receive these surveys, without notice to us as their parents.

Thus, (A) National HQ CAP is in violation of our own Cadet Protection Policy in directly and anonymously contacting many of our minor cadets with questions specifically asking about their sexual orientation without informing anyone at Wing Commander level or below, NOR their own parents, and (B) National HQ CAP is in apparent violation of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act by asking minors (some of whom are under age 13) a number of detailed questions without the informed consent of we, their parents or guardians.

This issue is independent of any views on whether homosexuality is either deviant behavior or a rainbow spectrum of happiness. It is about a blatant departure from good practice, and violation of law in asking sexual orientation and medical and other sensitive questions of minors without consent or even information. You have no right to start emailing my kids asking them leading questions regarding sexual orientation (AT ALL), regarding medical disability, regarding income levels, or anything else without ensuring positive informed consent of me as a parent. This is my right under CAP policy and federal law, which CAP has broken here.

Mac, thanks yes, I had called NHQ and left a message (it was 1620 local time there, they were closed). My Wing Commander has stated that he wasn't given the courtesy of any advance copy (I wasn't either as a Squadron/CC), that he is also responding up the chain, and he's stated that he's not letting his daughter answer it either.

Who at NHQ primed Rand to ask these sort of questions ("when the Rand folks heard..."), and who told them to send max distro without informing ALL parents and subordinate Commanders? As a parent, I am furious, I am not alone, and I want to know who authorized this and that it won't happen ever again.


V/R,
Spam


PS - Airplane girl, yeah, I think the survey is a good idea too. Colonel Lee has made a good explanation of why. The way it is worded with sexually oriented language and the way it blind sides some moms and dads is wrong, though. NO discussion of sexuality or leading questions about it belong in our volunteer workplace, or from CAP to adolescents without telling their moms and dads, despite how someone at HQ would apparently like it to be.


PS - Nuke52, step off. If you're accusing me of drunkenness, you're off the mark with your ad hominem attack.

[almostspaatz]

I just notified my CDC and CC who were unaware of this...
excellent points Spam you hit the nail on the head

[LSThiker]

You have no right to start emailing my kids asking them leading questions regarding sexual orientation (AT ALL),

Actually, they are not asking about sexual orientation.  They are asking gender identity.  There is a difference. 

[Airplane girl]

Spam, I understand where you are coming from with disagreeing with the survey asking cadets if they are transgender.

However, there is a difference in asking someone's sexuality and their gender. I would be really annoyed if they asked me if I was gay or straight or asexual or any other sexual orientation. Gender is something entirely different. There are people who don't identify as either female or male, and they probably wouldn't like it if there wasn't an option for their gender (which is also why I think it should say other and not just transgender). If a cadet hasn't told anyone the gender they really identify as yet, they can put in their biological gender.

Although, I guess it would be a good thing for parents to know about the survey first. Even though it didn't really bother me (as a cadet) I understand why some parents might not like it.

[LSThiker]

Since I did not get the survey, does the survey ask for any of the following information:

-A first and last name;
-A home or other physical address including street name and name of a city or town;
-Online contact information as defined in this section;
-A screen or user name where it functions in the same manner as online contact information, as defined in this section;
-A telephone number;
-A Social Security number;
-A persistent identifier that can be used to recognize a user over time and across different Web sites or online services. Such persistent identifier includes, but is not limited to, a customer number held in a cookie, an Internet Protocol (IP) address, a processor or device serial number, or unique device identifier;
-A photograph, video, or audio file where such file contains a child's image or voice;
-Geolocation information sufficient to identify street name and name of a city or town; or
-Information concerning the child or the parents of that child that the operator collects online from the child and combines with an identifier described in this definition.

[Paul Creed III]

As a Unit CC, I received a notice from NHQ last week or so that the survey was coming.