Statement of Burlington Public Schools Superintendent Eric Conti in Response to U.S. Department of Education News Release

BURLINGTON — The following is a statement from Eric Conti, Superintendent of Schools:

“The Burlington School District is in receipt of notice from the U.S. Department of Education regarding the district’s administration of the 2025 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS). The district will cooperate fully with the investigation and will respond within the time required. Without addressing the government’s allegations directly, the Burlington Public Schools has already taken significant steps to address reported issues with the administration of the YRBS, and the District has been transparent throughout this process. Last winter, the District terminated its contract with the company that drafted the survey. The School Committee also unanimously voted that no new student surveys will be administered until a new policy is written and approved by the School Committee. That process is already ongoing, with the assistance of legal counsel.  The YRBS survey is not scheduled to be given again, if at all, until the Spring of 2027.  

“The School District also previously hired an independent consultant, who is a retired colonel in the United States Marine Corps, who performed an extensive external review of the administration of the 2025 YRBS.  Furthermore, during numerous public meetings and via its website, the School District has previously discussed the issues that are being raised today by the federal government and has released information, including prior surveys, survey reports, the external review report of the 2025 YRBS, and the proposed recommendations for changes to be implemented. All parents were notified prior to April break 2025 as to where they could find this information and were provided with a link to a page on the district website, which has been consistently updated. The website also addresses many of the frequently asked questions raised during various school committee meetings. 

“The School District also previously emailed all families acknowledging that errors and mistakes did occur and that the School District recognized the critical importance of having clear communication with families, especially regarding parents and students’ rights to opt-out of such surveys. The School District previously acknowledged to the community that it was able to confirm five (5) instances of students whose parents opted them out were allowed inadvertently to participate in the survey. This is not a new issue, and the District has gone to great lengths to be transparent and forthcoming about the problems, unintentional as they were, with the 2025 YRBS. 

“The Burlington Public Schools looks forward to resolving this matter with the federal government and to implementing the forthcoming amended policies that continue the goal of improving the protection of all students’ rights.”

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