(KRON) -- The U.S. Department of Education’s Student Privacy Policy Office opened investigations into two Bay Area school districts for allegedly violating parents' rights. Some students were instructed to participate in "Wheel of Power/Privilege" activities as part of ethnic studies and answer ve ry personal questions, according to USDE. Palo Alto Unified School District and San Francisco Unified School District are accused of requiring students to reveal "intimate details about themselves and their families without parental consent or knowledge," federal education officials wrote. "These invasive questionnaires require students to identify personal information such as their sexual orientations, gender identities, mental and physical health conditions, family economic status, race, and more.  Students are then asked to determine their 'privilege status' based on the information they provide," USDE wrote. “Schools in California seem to be collecting a myriad of protected and private information on students without involving parents, raising serious concerns that they deliberately keep parents in the dark about the most sensitive information pertaining to their children," said Frank Miller, director of the Student Privacy Policy Office. "Students should not be pressured into identifying intimate details about themselves and their families without parental awareness and consent." A spokesperson for Palo Alto's school district said PAUSD high school students were not asked to complete "Wheel of Power/Privilege" activities. "The wheel appears in our Ethnic Studies syllabus only as a teacher example used for class reference, and it is labeled that way," the spokesperson told KRON4. "Parents have a right to know what their children are learning and to make decisions about sensitive personal matters. We take that seriously, along with our responsibility to teach Ethnic Studies well. Those commitments are not in conflict," PAUSD wrote. SFUSD said it can't comment on active investigations. San Francisco's school district spokesperson wrote, "Protecting student privacy and ensuring that all students feel safe and respected at school are top priorities for SFUSD. Students are not required to share information that they are uncomfortable disclosing. Additionally, all families were invited to review the Ethnic Studies curriculum when it became available." The U.S. Department of Education said its investigations will determine whether the districts violated the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA).  PPRA is a federal law that provides parents with certain rights concerning surveys, analyses, evaluations, and screenings involving their children. ...read more read less