Tag Archives: Survey

WARNING: Invasive Survey Coming to Keene from UNH

If you live in KEENE, make sure you read through this new survey. How can a survey claiming to be anonymous start out with specific questions that can identify the student?
There is nothing about where this information goes.
Who owns this data? What will be done with it?
They are asking the kids to incriminate themselves. Did anyone tell the students of their Constitutional right to NOT self incriminate?
Maybe it would be a good idea to require your district to inform students of their 5th Amendment rights prior to taking these kinds of surveys.

http://www.keene.k12.nh.us <–link to the school web site

http://khs-sau29-nh.schoolloop.com/file/1407475219031/1341893260211/6099193909579020548.pdf <—LINK to the survey

Keene Survey UNH

REMEMBER WHEN PARENTS IN ANDOVER, MASS. WERE ANGRY ABOUT THE LAST SEX SURVEY BY UNH?
http://www.wmur.com/news/unh-sex-survey-given-to-high-schoolers-draws-concern/38326448

URGENT MEETING: Parental Rights on Surveys

If you recall, there was an effort to help pass important legislation last session that would have required PARENTAL WRITTEN PERMISSION before the school could SURVEY your children.

Rep. Terry Wolf worked hard to remove “written permission” from the original bill. She along with the survey company representative succeed and the original bill was watered down.

In the new bill that was passed, they are now going to set up a “Study Committee”. It’s important to again, attend the meeting where select legislators will meet to discuss whether this is important or not.

AS it stands, parents do have the right to “opt out” their children on these invasive surveys, however we know that often times, parents are not aware that they are being given and they have no idea the kinds of questions being asked of their children.

There was OVERWHELMING support for the original bill but Rep.Wolf who said this was a “local” decision in her testimony (what’s MORE local than parental permission?) and the survey representative said if parents were required to give written permission, they would not get the large number of completed surveys.

We heard testimony from one school board member who said a teacher in NH made the students stand up in her class to answer questions. This meant all of the students and teacher saw exactly how the students answered these personal and invasive questions.

Some surveys we’ve seen include questions on whether there is a gun in the home, sexual orientation, religious affiliation, drug abuse, alcohol abuse and so on. (see link below)

It’s important to keep the pressure on our legislators to require an OPT in provision on these surveys. This is a parental rights issue.

DATE: September 2
Time: 11:00 am
WHERE: Legislative office building behind the State House room 102

If you CANNOT make it to the meeting, it’s important to make sure these legislators know that we expect them to support parental rights.

If you know these legislators or live in their district, give them a call or e-mail them
Thank you

Rep. John Balcom: john.balcom@leg.state.nh.us
Rep. Terry Wolf: terry.wolf@leg.state.nh.us
Senator Kevin Avard: Kevin.Avard@leg.state.nh.us
Rep. Barbara Shaw: beshaw3@comcast.net
Rep. Rick Ladd: ladd.nhhouse@charter.net
Rep. Ken Weyler: kweyler@aol.com
Rep. Mary Gile: Mary.Gile@leg.state.nh.us

For more info:
Rep. Terry Wolf Working To Deny Parental Rights in NH
What Are They Asking My Children
NH Gun Owners Beware

WHAT ARE THEY ASKING MY CHILDREN?

The questions below are from the 2015 Youth Risk Behavior Survey given to students in Canton, Mass, and from the statewide Massachusetts 2013 Youth Risk Behavior Survey posted on the Mass Dept. of Elementary and Secondary Education (DOE) website.

REMINDER, HB206 goes before the Senate for a full vote next week.
The original Bill included WRITTEN CONSENT from parents before schools could survey their children. Rep. Terry Wolf (R) from Bedford watered down the original Bill and removed parental consent.

http://www.massresistance.org/docs/gen2/15b/School-surveys/2015-CHS-YRBS-questionnaire.pdf

How old are you?
A. 12 years old or younger
B. 13 years old
C. 14 years old
D. 15 years old
E. 16 years old
F. 17 years old
G. 18 years old or older

=== Sexual Behavior ===

Which of the following best describes you?
A. Heterosexual (straight)
B. Gay or lesbian
C. Bisexual
D. Not sure

A transgender person is someone whose biological sex at birth does not match the way they think or feel about themselves. Are you transgender?
A. No, I am not transgender
B. Yes, I am transgender and I think of myself as really a boy or man
C. Yes, I am transgender and I think of myself as really a girl or woman
D. Yes, I am transgender and I think of myself in some other way
E. I do not know if I am transgender
F. I do not know what this question is asking

Have you ever had sexual intercourse (oral, anal, vaginal)?
A. Yes
B. No

How old were you when you had sexual intercourse (oral, anal, vaginal) for the first time?
A. I have never had sexual intercourse
B. 11 years old or younger
C. 12 years old
D. 13 years old
E. 14 years old
F. 15 years old
G. 16 years old
H. 17 years old or older

During your life, with how many people have you had sexual intercourse (oral, anal, vaginal)?
A. I have never had sexual intercourse
B. 1 person
C. 2 people
D. 3 people
E. 4 people
F. 5 people
G. 6 or more people

During the past 3 months, with how many people did you have sexual intercourse (oral, anal, vaginal)?
A. I have never had sexual intercourse
B. I have had sexual intercourse, but not during the past 3 months
C. 1 person
D. 2 people
E. 3 people
F. 4 people
G. 5 people
H. 6 or more people

Did you drink alcohol or use drugs before you had sexual intercourse (oral, anal, vaginal) the last time?
A. I have never had sexual intercourse
B. Yes
C. No

The last time you had sexual intercourse (oral, anal, vaginal), did you or your partner use a condom?
A. I have never had sexual intercourse
B. Yes
C. No

During your life, with whom have you had sexual contact?
A. I have never had sexual contact
B. Females
C. Males
D. Females and males

How many times have you been pregnant or gotten someone pregnant?
A. 0 times
B. 1 time
C. 2 or more times
D. Not sure

Have you ever been tested for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS? (Do not count tests done if you donated blood.)
A. Yes
B. No
C. Not sure

Have you ever been tested for other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) such as genital herpes, chlamydia, syphilis, or genital warts?
A. Yes
B. No
C. Not sure

=== Family and personal life ===

How often does your parent/guardian(s) wear a seat belt when driving or riding in a car?
A. Never
B. Rarely
C. Sometimes
D. Most of the time
E. Always

Do your parents text, e-mail or use any other form of social media while driving a car or other vehicle?
A. Yes
B. No

Can you talk with at least one of your parents or other adult family members about things that are
important to you?
A. Yes
B. No

My parent/guardian(s) talk to me about the dangers of alcohol and drugs?
A. Yes
B. No

Is there at least one teacher or other adult in this school that you can talk to if you have a problem?
A. Yes
B. No

During the past 12 months, how often did you talk with your parents or other adults in your family about sexuality or ways to prevent HIV infection, other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), or pregnancy?
A. Not at all during the past 12 months
B. About once during the past 12 months
C. About once every few months
D. About once a month
E. More than once a month

How long have you lived in the United States?
A. Less than 1 year
B. 1 to 3 years
C. 4 to 6 years
D. More than 6 years but not my whole life
E. I have always lived in the United States

Where do you typically sleep at night?
A. At home with my parents or guardians
B. At a friend’s or relative’s home with my parents or guardians
C. At a friend’s or relative’s home without my parents or guardians
D. In a supervised shelter with my parents or guardians
E. In a supervised shelter without my parents or guardians
F. In a hotel or motel, car, park, campground, or other public place with my parents or guardians
G. In a hotel or motel, car, park, campground, or other public place without my parents or guardians
H. Somewhere else

=== Weapons ===

During the past 30 days, on how many days did you carry a weapon such as a gun, knife, or club?
A. 0 days
B. 1 day
C. 2 or 3 days
D. 4 or 5 days
E. 6 or more days

During the past 30 days, on how many days did you carry a gun?
A. 0 days
B. 1 day
C. 2 or 3 days
D. 4 or 5 days
E. 6 or more days

=== Suicide ===

During the past 12 months, did you ever seriously consider attempting suicide?
A. Yes
B. No

During the past 12 months, did you make a plan about how you would attempt suicide?
A. Yes
B. No

During the past 12 months, how many times did you actually attempt suicide?
A. 0 times
B. 1 time
C. 2 or 3 times
D. 4 or 5 times
E. 6 or more times

=== Tobacco, alcohol, drugs ===

How old were you when you smoked a whole cigarette or other tobacco/nicotine product for the first
time?
A. I have never smoked a whole cigarette
B. 8 years old or younger
C. 9 years old
D. 10 years old
E. 11 years old
F. 12 years old
G. 13 years old or older

During the past 30 days, how did you usually get your own cigarettes, or other tobacco/nicotine product?
(Select all that apply)
A. I did not smoke cigarettes during the past 30 days
B. I bought them in a store such as a convenience store, supermarket, discount store, or gas station
C. I got them on the Internet
D. I bought them at a public event such as a concert or sporting event
E. I gave someone else money to buy them for me
F. A person 18 years old or older gave them to me
G. I took them from a store
H. I took them from a family member
I. I took them from someone else’s home
J. I got them some other way

During the past 30 days, what is the largest number of alcoholic drinks you had in a 4 hour period?
A. I did not drink alcohol during the past 30 days
B. 1 or 2 drinks
C. 3 drinks
D. 4 drinks
E. 5 drinks
F. 6 or 7 drinks
G. 8 or 9 drinks
H. 10 or more drinks

During the past 30 days, how many times did you drive a car or other vehicle when you had been drinking alcohol?
A. I did not drive a car or other vehicle during the past 30 days
B. 0 times
C. 1 time
D. 2 or 3 times
E. 4 or 5 times
F. 6 or more times

During the past 30 days, how many times did you use marijuana?
A. 0 times
B. 1 or 2 times
C. 3 to 9 times
D. 10 to 19 times
E. 20 to 39 times
F. 40 or more times

During your life, how many times have you used any form of cocaine, including powder, crack, or freebase?
A. 0 times
B. 1 or 2 times
C. 3 to 9 times
D. 10 to 19 times
E. 20 to 39 times
F. 40 or more times

During your life, how many times have you used heroin (also called smack, junk, or China White)?
A. 0 times
B. 1 or 2 times
C. 3 to 9 times
D. 10 to 19 times
E. 20 to 39 times
F. 40 or more times

During your life, how many times have you taken a prescription drug (such as OxyContin, Percocet, Vicodin, codeine, Adderall, Ritalin, or Xanax) without a doctor’s prescription?
A. 0 times
B. 1 or 2 times
C. 3 to 9 times
D. 10 to 19 times
E. 20 to 39 times
F. 40 or more times

SAU 47 Jaffrey / Rindge Cooperative School District: Here Comes A Survey

The NH DoE continues to push schools to administer non-academic surveys to your children.
This survey will be given May 6th – It is the Youth Risk Behavior Survey and it is given every two years.

Below is the letter that was mailed to parents this week which explains the survey and provides the parental opt out form.
The survey was not provided to parents but we’ve included a link to the survey so parents can see what will be asked of their children.
—————————————————————————

If you Google “YRBS NH” you will get all kinds of information regarding the survey.

http://education.nh.gov/instruction/school_health/documents/nhyrbsquestionnaire.pdf

Non-academic survey

A WARNING:
Students have been known to add their name/unique pupil identifier number to these surveys.

The information gathered can identify the child taking the survey.

NO information is given on where all of this data will go or how long it’s stored.

NO information is given on the programs that will come from this survey and whether the programs are effective. ie…where’s the PROOF that programs from the CDC are effective at reducing risky behavior? Often times they are not effective at all.

Did the NH Senate Education Committee FAIL Parents Again?

A LARGE number of parents came out to support HB206. This bill requires school districts to adopt a policy regarding student participation in non-academic surveys or questionnaires.

HB206 had bi-partisan support among the sponsors, but Rep. Terry Wolf (R) representing Bedford, testified in opposition to requiring parental consent before surveying students.

The House amended HB206 and removed written consent from parents before a school could administer a survey. Wolf’s amendment.

More parents attended the hearing on HB206 before the Senate Education Committee to request that “written consent” be added back to the original bill and passed.

Unfortunately their testimony fell on deaf ears because the Senate Ed. Committee then passed an amendment to send the Bill to a study Committee. (That’s where legislation goes to die)

Now we are getting news that the standardized tests also include surveys. Students who took the PARCC Common Core Assessment in Ohio were treated to another survey their parents did not know was being administered. They did not have access to the questions that would be asked of their children, they were not notified and they have no idea where this information will be sent.

HB206 goes before the FULL Senate for a vote SOON. Please WRITE the NH Senators NOW and tell them that the STUDY COMMITTEE is UNACCEPTABLE. Parents want their rights to be UPHELD, not undermined.

TELL THEM TO PASS HB206 in the ORIGINAL FORM that includes WRITTEN CONSENT from parents before a school can survey students. Tell them that a study committee is unacceptable. Senators@leg.state.nh.us

Village of Morrow, Ohio
One School Board member calls for action to unite the school board with parents who are concerned with PARCC Testing. Weigh in and show your support on the issue of the PARCC testing. Since many parents have choosen to opt-out of the test, we know it is of interest to you. School Board Member, Tony Niemesh presented some insightful comments at the board meeting.
=========================================
“In light of the recent development regarding a “student survey” at the end of the PARCC assessment that is in direct violation of board policy, I am highly concerned about our ability as a district to continue to administer these assessments in their current format.
With many parents across the state and in our own district choosing to “opt-out” of these assessments, many due to concerns over student privacy and “data mining” I find it particularly disturbing that PARCC and the ODE would choose to add a student survey to the end of this assessment in light of growing District and Parent concerns.

I find it unacceptable and inexcusable that PARCC and ODE would put Districts in the position of defending these assessments and practices to our community, only to then deliberately add this survey to the end of the assessment without our knowledge. If PARCC and ODE wanted some feedback on the assessment then they should have asked teachers and administrators. If they wanted to gather information from kids, the survey should have been provided to us in advance, or it should have been optional. I believe these assessments serve a minimal purpose for a number of reasons:

1. they are designed by private corporations who stand to profit greatly from their implementation
2. They are designed to drive instruction at the local level and they come with a $750 million dollar penalty to ODE from the Federal government, which seriously clouds the judgement and motives of those mandating them.
3. Of the 26 States who were initially part of PARRC approximately 10 remain.
4. This assessment has not been found to be valid or reliable especially given the number of parents who are “opting out”. Without the scores of the “opt out” population, our district scores will be incomplete and inaccurate.

We as a District and taxpayers are footing the bill for these assessments, in turn we should be treated as the customer, to learn that my Supt. was bounced back and forth between ODE and PARCC who’s customer service approach seems to be to point the finger at the other, and for them to refuse to share the survey questions with us I find inexcusable.

Pearson and the State DOE have been ineffective, un-cooperative, and in the case of this survey, at best mis-leading, and at worst deliberately deceptive. This District and the board have made significant efforts and strides to gain the trust of the taxpayers since returning to local control from Financial Insolvency, and with the level of mis-trust surrounding these “assessments”, the actions of the DOE and PARCC and Pearson only work to dissolve the trust between the community, the local school district, and the Board.

Our Superintendent has taken a stand, our parents are opting out and taking a stand, and I believe now is time for us to take a stand and say “NO MORE!!”.
This board should never direct our administrative leaders to impose any curriculum or assessment on its students that directly violates board policy, serves a minimal meaningful educational purpose and return on investment, and funnels tax dollars and resources away from classroom teachers and students to private companies and entities.

The policy of this Board and the privacy of our students should be paramount. The time has come for us to take back local control of our school system and the resources our citizens have entrusted to us. It’s time for this board to tell Pearson and the DOE that we welcome the opportunity to partner with them to continually improve the quality of education each child receives here in Little Miami and across the State of Ohio, but that we will no longer stand for the idea of them dictating the terms to us, especially when those terms fly in the face of sound educational practice, are built on a foundation of political and financial motives, violate the privacy of our students, and undermine the authority of Local Boards of Education.”

Bedford Survey on Superintendent

From: Chip McGee
Date: Friday, March 27, 2015
Subject: Superintendent Feedback

Parents, Teachers, Students, and all other Community Members,
I am writing to ask you to fill in a short feedback form on my work as the superintendent of the Bedford School District. In the survey, I have listed seven “competencies” that an effective superintendent should master. While there are many other competencies, these seven relate particularly to my interactions with parents, teachers, students, and community members. I would appreciate your feedback so I can continue to improve. I will keep the survey open until Friday, April 10.

LINK: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/BSDsuperintendent_feedback
Thank you!
Sincerely,
Chip McGee

The mission of the Bedford School District is to develop a community of learners who are intellectually curious, resourceful, and respectful of self and others. Academic achievement, through constantly improving standards, is the district’s highest priority.

Chip McGee, Superintendent of Schools
Bedford School District
103 County Road
Bedford NH 03110
Phone: (603) 472-3755
Fax: (603) 472-2567
www.sau25.net

Survey in Portsmouth, NH

Parents need to look closely at what information the school will be gathering on your children.  A good question to always ask is, where is the DATA that proves the programs being used in the school has had significant success in reducing alcohol/drugs use on the student population?

Surveys should be Opt-IN vs Opt-out. How much time does this take away from instruction time in the core subjects? 

Dear Parent:

The Portsmouth School District is implementing two new programs at the middle and high school called Project Alert and Project Success.  These new initiatives are funded by a Federal Grant distributed by the NH Department of Health and Human Services.  The goals of the programs are to prevent and reduce alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use and to improve school performance. To accomplish these goals, students will have the opportunity to participate in additional school wide awareness programs, expanded class curricula, extracurricular activities, small groups and individual meetings to correct erroneous perceptions about substance use and learn skills to identify and resist social and situational pressures to use substances.  Parent meetings, workshops and collaborative family “homework” assignments will also be available to assist you in prevention efforts.

In order to assess the effectiveness of these initiatives, and to comply with the Grant requirements, we will be asking students to participate in a survey that will measure changes in attitudes and behaviors that decrease the risk of substance misuse and abuse. Student’s participation in the survey is voluntary.  Your child does not have to participate and you do not have to provide a reason.  Students can answer as many questions as they wish and do not have to answer any questions they do not want to answer.  The survey was given November 12, 2013 and will be given again on Wednesday, May 28, 2014 during the course of an extended homeroom period.  The survey is confidential.  Your child’s and the school’s privacy are protected.  No names are on the survey.  No one at the school will ever see the survey. The survey will be used by our school district and the NH Bureau of Drug and Alcohol Services to evaluate the program’s effectiveness.  A copy of the survey is available at your child’s school for your review.

Contact your Middle School Principal, John M. Stokel, at 436-5781 or
jstokel@portsmouth.k12.nh.us no later than May 27, 2014 if you DO want your child to participate in this activity.

If you have any questions about this new programming or the survey, please contact your child’s principal.  We are hopeful that working together we can support healthy decision making and prevent substance abuse.

Sincerely,
Laura Burbine, MEd
Wellness Coordinator
Portsmouth School District

John M. Stokel, Principal
Portsmouth Middle School
155 Parrott Ave.
Portsmouth, NH  03801
Tel. (603) 436-5781