Is your child in middle school? Take time now to review survey being asked of our children

URGENT Message for Parents re: 2023 Virginia School Survey of Climate & Working Conditions

Please find attached a copy of my address to the Warren County Public School Board last evening, Feb. 1, 2023. I was the ONLY public participant to address the Board and could not fully complete this message within the 3-minute limit. I politely stated that since I was the only one, could I please be able to finish? The Chair declined and said I could email them. I had the packets ready for all 5 Board members and left them with the clerk, which included:
*My address (speech)
*The letter to SMS Parents
*Superintendent’s memo #191-22
*Full survey questions (102)
*VA Code 22.1-279.8 B
*HB30 Item 135

I am a “passionate” driven individual, and I left feeling as if I failed the youth in making sure their parents were aware of this taking place, and ask you to PLEASE publish my address ASAP so parents to have still the opportunity to opt out their students if they wish to? I am aware that our SMS hasn’t taken the survey just yet, and the window is Jan. 9 – Feb. 24 (but no specific date) is being told. I, like other parents, have to make time to go online and click “links” to find out what this is all about, and some don’t have the time, but I feel if this is put out with a strong caption – they’ll be able to take notice.

Presented to the Warren County Public School Board – Feb. 1, 2023.
I am here this evening to present my concerns about the 2023 Virginia School Survey of Climate & Working Conditions that is being presented to 6th – 8th-grade students.

I am confident that this Board is aware of this survey and want to express my gratitude for receiving the parent’s letter in December from Interim Director Shamika McDonald and the school Principal providing the survey link and informing us that we will not have access to our child’s survey answers, even as parents, and gave the option to opt-out.

After reviewing the survey questions, I began a thorough online search and found the Superintendent’s Memo #191-22 from the VDOE, dated August 26, 2022.

• It states the VDOE and VA Dept of Criminal Justice Services are in partnership to coordinate the survey, which meets both VDOE’s legislative requirement and VDCJS’s mandate, but through reading the Legislative Item and the Virginia State Code listed on the memo.

• The VDOE’s legislative REQUIREMENT – Item 135-G does NOT require that students be surveyed. In fact, it makes no mention of students, only licensed personnel.

• The Virginia Code 22.1-279.8 B that the VDOE & VDCJS are using to back the “mandate” of this survey . . .is about the Virginia School and Campus Safety. It says . . . The Virginia Center for School and Campus Safety, in consultation with the Dept of Education, shall develop a list of items to be reviewed and evaluated, including incidents reported to school authorities and school inspection walk-throughs using a checklist. Each school board requires all schools to annually conduct school safety audits in collaboration with the chief law enforcement officer of the locality. Requiring a floor plan of each school building sufficiently detailed and accurate, etc.

• VA Code 22.1-279.9 C, which is not listed on the Memo, but is next in line in the VA Codes, states: the Superintendent shall establish a school safety audit committee to include representatives of parents, teachers, local law enforcement, emergency services agencies, local community service boards, and judicial and public safety personnel to review the completed safety audits and submit plans as needed to improve our schools’ safety. – Is there a Committee of such here in Warren County? What does it comprise? And is it active?

This survey is said to be a component of the annual school safety audit, and this audit itself is what is required. This survey is also said to be a tool provided by the VDOE & the DCJS to schools to help them meet their audit requirements. They claim it’s valuable information to assess student/teacher perceptions and can be used to improve school discipline and student support practices in order to maintain a safe and orderly school environment conducive to learning. I ask – has this Board looked to see if there are other possibilities out there to use instead of this survey that will help meet the audit requirements for the safety in our schools?

And the reason I ask is that this survey consists of 102 questions. It starts out positive, then takes a HUGE left turn! The following are just a few questions that are being asked of our 6th, 7th, and 8th-grade students (ages 11, 12 & 13) . . .

• The things I learn at this school reflect multiple cultural backgrounds, ethnicities, and identities?
• Questions 58-63 ask if students at this school are being bullied about their race or ethnicity, their sexual orientation, their physical appearance, they’re having too little or too much money or their disability.
• Questions 81-88 – ask the student if they ever feel sad or hopeless almost every day for two weeks in a row. Then ask them to rate it on a scale, then goes on to ask whether the adults in the school care about their mental health.
• Question 90 – asks if they ever seriously considered attempted suicide in the past 12 months. If they answer yes, they get asked “how many times?” and whether they have participated in suicide prevention or mental health training.
• Questions 98-102 asks the student to clarify themselves. How do you describe your gender? Is your ethnic background Hispanic or Latino? What best describes your race? Do you have any of the following educational plans? IEP, 504 or LEP Plan? How old are you?

This Superintendent memo states that any schools with regular education programs serving students in grades 6-8 are required to administer the student survey, but the laws they use for backing this requirement do NOT state such.

The VDOE strongly encourages schools to achieve a participation rate of 80% for both students and adults, stating that low rates may mask areas of concern and celebration. For that reason, the random sample option of the survey has been eliminated! The window dates for schools to conduct this survey is January 9 – February 24, 2023.

The Interim Director of WCPS gave parents until December 21, 2022 (right at the start of Christmas Break) to opt-out if requested. That reason alone is so the VDOE could receive back a percentile of how many students each school district is going to survey. I strongly encourage parents to make time to review this survey before your child is administered this, and should you disapprove, contact your school’s principal immediately to opt your child out.

Leslie Mathews
Warren County