Legislature(2011 - 2012)BELTZ 105 (TSBldg)
02/21/2011 08:00 AM Senate EDUCATION
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| SB9 | |
| SB83 | |
| SB8 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| += | SB 9 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | SB 83 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| = | SB 8 | ||
SB 8-STUDENT QUESTIONNAIRES AND SURVEYS
8:38:35 AM
CO-CHAIR THOMAS announced the consideration of SB 8.
8:39:02 AM
THOMAS OBERMEYER, Staff to Senator Bettye Davis, sponsor of SB
8, read the following sponsor statement:
The purpose of this bill is to increase participation
in the national biennial Youth Risk Behavior Survey
(YRBS) in order to meet the minimum 60 percent
participation required by the Centers for Disease
Control (CDC) for the survey to be validated for
assessment, recording and reporting of reliable
results. Alaska has periodically failed to meet
minimum participation levels. This anonymous survey
will next be administered in Alaska School Districts
in Spring 2011 and 2013. This survey is enormously
valuable to all aspects of society dealing with our
youth. Failure to obtain usable information adversely
affects education and funding of many services.
To help achieve this objective this bill will change
the parental consent requirement for the YRBS from
active to passive, that is, from written to implied
consent if the parent does not object or deny
permission in writing for the student to participate
in the survey. To alleviate increased concerns about
protecting the right to privacy the bill provides
lengthy and detailed new notice requirements which
will be sent to parents at least two weeks in advance
of the survey. There will be ample time and
opportunity for parents to review the survey with
instructions on how to opt out. Students may also
independently decline to participate or to answer
specific questions in this completely voluntary and
anonymous survey. Absolute privacy and anonymity are
maintained by strict administrative procedures and
return of surveys to CDC. Written permission is still
required to be obtained from the student's parent or
legal guardian for all other surveys, anonymous or not
that inquire into personal or private family affairs
of the student and are not a matter of public record
or subject to public observation.
Although research and experience suggest that the vast
majority of parents would consent to their students
participating in this survey, failure of parents to
return written consent forms has been found more often
to be the result of lack of interest or attention,
rather than refusal. Consequently, results from whole
schools periodically must be disregarded when not
enough parental consent forms are returned.
Without facts and population-based information on
youth risk behavior parents, students, educators,
planners, and policy makers cannot understand and
address the important health and social issues that
affect students' happiness and success in the future.
The Youth Risk Behavior Survey helps guide and
evaluate important health and prevention programs in
both the public and private sectors. Local, state and
federal officials, schools, state and federal
agencies, public and private grant programs and
nonprofit health organizations rely on these survey to
educate, allocate resources, and compare trends
concerning safety behaviors, injury prevention,
tobacco prevention and control, obesity prevention,
diabetes, heart disease and stroke, safe and drug free
schools, substance abuse prevention, violence and
suicide prevention, HIV, STD prevention, and
connectedness to teachers, parents and other adults.
SB 8 simply makes it easier to obtain information on
youth risk behaviors, while increasing procedures to
assure privacy, parental notice, and supervision.
MR. OBERMEYER continued by reading the sectional analysis of SB
8:
Section 1. Adds an exception for the Youth Risk
Behavior Survey (YRBS) to the written permission
requirement for student surveys.
Section 2. Provides detailed written notice
requirements for all student surveys, including YRBS.
Section 3. Adds specific questions and process for a
student and parent to refuse to participate in a
student survey by submitting a written denial of
permission.
Section 4. Provides an exception to written permission
for YRBS and a minimum two week notice provision that
is consistent with the requirements in sec. 2.
MR. OBERMEYER said Section 2 was repealed and reenacted to
include many more survey notice requirements to parents that are
not in AS 14.03.110.
Section 3 allowed students to not only refuse to participate in
the survey but allowed them not to answer specific questions in
the survey.
Section 4 included a provision of two weeks' notice for parents
to respond and write a denial of permission letter to take the
survey.
8:45:16 AM
SENATOR STEVENS asked what funding or services would be affected
if students do not take these surveys.
MR. OBERMEYER answered that, to his understanding, for agencies
that deal with youth part of the funding comes from engaging
youth successfully, which is often in response to the findings
of this survey. These agencies help children avoid problems or
assist those that are already engaged in problems now.
CO-CHAIR MEYER said this is not a new issue and is a very
sensitive topic to many parents. He asked him to describe how
the survey process currently works.
MR. OBERMEYER replied that there are probably five or six
questions on the survey that could be construed as offensive or
very personnel, typically pertaining to sexual activity. He
explained that this bill is not trying to hide any aspect of the
survey itself. Currently, in order to address this issue the
bill states that a student may choose whether they answer a
question or take the survey. He reminded the committee that
parents can still write a denial of permission to the school
that will not allow their child to participate.
He explained that, in his understanding, throughout the United
States the comparisons of the survey answers are enormously
useful. He said that not all school districts are necessarily
involved and only a 60 percent participation rate is necessary.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) will throw out the survey
information from Alaska if it does not get a 60 percent feedback
rate. This means that Alaska would not have any background
information for two years, until the survey is administered
again. He said to remedy the problem of notice to parents in
regards to this survey, section 2, on page 1 and 2, includes the
following:
(1) the date the questionnaire or survey is to be
administered;
(2) a description of the content of the questionnaire
or survey;
(3) the sponsor of the questionnaire or survey;
(4) the name of a person at the school district who
may be contacted regarding the survey;
(5) notice of the opportunity to review the
questionnaire or survey;
(6) a description of the manner in which the
questionnaire or survey will be administered to the
student;
(7) instructions for submitting written permission or
denial of permission to participate in a questionnaire
or survey, including an anonymous or specific
questionnaire or survey;
(8) notice of the opportunity for the student to
refuse to answer specific questions…
He explained that the bill is trying to make things as easy as
possible so the survey can be successful. If the bill fails, the
school districts will continue making every effort, as has been
done in the past, to get parents to return the permission form.
He reiterated that Alaska has periodically failed to make the 60
percent participation requirement.
8:53:35 AM
CO-CHAIR MEYER said that this tells him that the administration
and the school districts have not done a good job to inform
parents or parents do not want their children participating in
the survey. He asked if it would be easier for parents to simply
check a box that allows their child to participate in a survey,
rather than obligating parents to write a denial of permission.
MR. OBERMEYER replied that the issue with this is school
districts issue more than just the YRBS survey throughout the
year. Right now, if the parents do not object to a survey being
given to their child, the law states that any personal survey
given to a student must include written permission. In the case
of SB 8 only the YRBS would be administered to students unless a
parent has written a denial of permission letter. He reminded
the committee that school districts are obligated to give
parents a two week notice that this particular survey will be
administered and can give written denial of consent if they do
not want their child to participate.
He said that it is a great burden and expense for schools to get
participation in this survey. He said that, to his knowledge,
many parents would not prevent their child from participating in
the survey, but they may have lost or been unaware of the
required permission slip they needed to sign.
8:56:44 AM
CO-CHAIR THOMAS announced he would hold SB 8 in committee.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| nbpts docs.docx |
SEDC 2/21/2011 8:00:00 AM |
|
| SB083-EED-TLS-2-11-11.pdf |
SEDC 2/21/2011 8:00:00 AM |
SB 83 |
| Ed Commission of the States.pdf |
SEDC 2/21/2011 8:00:00 AM |
|
| SB 9 Docs-Bldg Grad Nation 11-2011.pdf |
SEDC 2/21/2011 8:00:00 AM |
SB 9 |
| SB 9 Docs-NCSL email summary 2-15-2011.pdf |
SEDC 2/21/2011 8:00:00 AM |
SB 9 |
| SB 9 Docs-NCSL TaskForce-Path Grad 1-2011.pdf |
SEDC 2/21/2011 8:00:00 AM |
SB 9 |
| Sectional Analysis SB 9.pdf |
SEDC 2/21/2011 8:00:00 AM |
SB 9 |
| Supporting Documents.pdf |
SEDC 2/21/2011 8:00:00 AM |