A Massachusetts high school teacher was placed on administrative leave after assigning a survey to students Friday that asked about their sexual activity and arousal, numerous sources reported.
The Dracut High School teacher, who was not identified, assigned a “Sexual Temperament Questionnaire” to students in an anatomy class, according to The Sun. The questionnaire was reportedly from a bestselling book called “Come as You Are: The Surprising New Science That Will Transform Your Sex Life,” by sex educator Emily Nagoski.
The ‘What’s Happening Dracut’ Facebook page is reporting a Dracut High School teacher is on paid leave while the district investigates a “Sexual Temperament Questionnaire” he allegedly handed out to students today https://t.co/wmUsKEMaJT pic.twitter.com/3k5nPkY6w5
— Mike Saccone (@mikesacconetv) May 22, 2021
The questionnaire asked students to fill out two sections, titled “inhibitors” and “excitors,” which contained graphic statements, according to The Sun. The students would then have to select a number that represents how much each statement is relevant to them, and then participants would add the numbers together to determine how sensitive they are to sexual inhibitors and excitors. (RELATED: Review Of School Based Comprehensive Sex Education Shows Little Effectiveness, Finds Increased Sexual Activity)
“There were no questions pertaining to anatomy, it was all about feelings, no words that I care to say out loud in public,” Rebecca Sullivan, a parent with children enrolled at the school district, told Boston 25 News.
A high school student told Boston 25 News that his friends in the anatomy class where the survey was assigned walked out of the class feeling uncomfortable.
A copy of the “Sexual Temperament Questionnaire” is on Nagoski’s website, and includes statements including “When I am sexually aroused, the slightest thing can turn me off and “having sex in a different setting than usual is a real turn on for me.”
Another statement said “if I am worried about taking too long to become aroused or to orgasm, this can interfere with my arousal.”
The Nagoski’s book is described as “an essential exploration of why and how women’s sexuality works—based on groundbreaking research and brain science—that will radically transform your sex life into one filled with confidence and joy.”
Superintendent Steven Stone announced Sunday that the school had become aware of the “highly inappropriate survey” Friday afternoon, and the district opened up a review into the matter.
“The teacher has been placed on administrative leave pending that review,” Stone said, according to Boston 25 News.
Sullivan told Boston 25 News she had read the questions on Facebook and was “repulsed.”
Dracut High School did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication.
“If he were to remain there, I would be concerned that he could do something similar and be more sneaky about it and who knows if it was the first time or not,” Sullivan added.