High school to ask students about sexual orientation, alcohol, tobacco, and drug use
–Next week, students in the ninth and eleventh grades at Paso Robles High School will be asked to take the annual California Healthy Kids Survey. “This survey, sponsored by the California Department of Education, is an important tool for our staff in that it helps us learn more about the views and needs of our students,” says Thomas Harrington, assistant principal at Paso Robles High School, in a letter to parents.
The survey, which will take less than one period, will gather information on developmental supports provided to youth; school connectedness and barriers to learning; school safety; and health-related concerns such as physical activity and nutritional habits; alcohol, tobacco and other drug use; and risk of depression and perceived sexual orientation. The results from this survey are compiled into district and county-level reports.
The survey will be administered on Tuesday, Feb. 18. Ninth grade students will take the survey in physical education classes. Eleventh grade students will take the survey in English classes. The students will take the surveys on their Chromebooks.
There are no questions on the survey that relate to a student’s personal beliefs or practices in sex, morality, and religion. In addition, students, who participate, only have to answer the questions they want to answer, Harrington says. The survey is anonymous and confidential; no names will be recorded or attached to the survey forms or data.
Parents may refuse to allow their child to participate in the survey. The teachers have distributed a letter to students with information about the survey for parents, Harrington says. “Please encourage your students to be as honest as possible and reinforce the need for accurate data,” he says.
For information about the survey can be found here: https://www.pasoschools.org/chks
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