Allen County Schools Superintendent Travis Hamby sent an apology to parents of James E. Bazzell Middle School students after seventh and eighth graders were asked to describe their gender identity and sexual orientation in a survey.

Two questions in particular caused outrage from many on social media.

The first asked students to describe their gender identity. They could pick from the following answers: Female, male, non-binary/transgender or other, or they could select “prefer not to answer.”

The second question asked, “Which of the following best describes you?” with heterosexual (straight), gay or lesbian, bisexual and “prefer not to answer” being the possible answers.

Hamby, who apologized Tuesday, told the Daily News the survey was “well-intended” and meant to determine if the school had the necessary support structures to make sure all students felt safe and respected.

“The intention of the anonymous survey was to determine the level to which all students feel safe, respected and included in their school environment,” he said. “The results would be used to identify opportunities for us to grow as a school community and improve our support for students as appropriate.”

The survey was completed anonymously by students. No identifying information was collected.

In his statement to parents, Hamby said the Kentucky Department of Education asked local boards of education to develop a plan for implementing a trauma-informed approach to issues in schools by July 1.

He said the KDE reported that at a minimum, “the plan shall include strategies for: … Conducting an assessment of the school climate, including but not limited to inclusiveness and respect for diversity.”

The questions drawing scrutiny, along with the entirety of the survey, were taken directly from the School Climate Survey Suite Manual provided by the Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports.

“We were made aware that some of the questions posed were offensive to members of our community,” Hamby said. “We did not intend to offend our local community with the questions presented on the survey and we sincerely apologize.

“In hindsight, we could have edited or omitted questions based on developmental appropriateness,” he said. “Our relationship with families and the community is of the utmost importance. In the future, we will seek to better represent the norms and values of our local community.”

Russell Mills, pastor of Freedom Hill Church in Allen County, made a public Facebook post displaying the questions on gender identity and sexual orientation.

He said he was sent a screenshot of the survey.

As part of his post, Mills said: “It is truly sad times that we live in. We have replaced prayer in school with this … I’m posting this because our parents and guardians needs to see the trash that our kids have forced in front of them … Please take time to pray and ask God to touch our nation.”

Mills’ post had more than 1,300 reactions, 500 shares and 200 comments as of Wednesday afternoon.

Several individuals claiming to be residents of Scottsville voiced their disagreement with questions in the comment section.

Mills told the Daily News he made the post because the questions were “inappropriate of that age and the parents needed to see the questions the children were being asked.”

Hamby said the survey containing the same questions was given to students at Allen County-Scottsville High School last fall.

He said there was no public outrage that he was aware of when that survey was conducted.

“Maybe grades six through 12 work in some places of the country (for the survey), but not for here,” Hamby said. “We need to look at it within a community context. We never want to offend the people in our community.”

– Follow reporter John Reecer on Twitter @JReecerBGDN or visit bgdailynews.com.