Youth Risk Behavior Survey causes tumult during school board meeting

During the last Matanuska Susitna Borough School District (MSBSD) school board meeting, held on Wednesday, parents spoke out against the possible deployment of a biannual Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) that is delivered to students every two years.

The survey is lengthy, with 98 questions that cover an array of topics pertaining to student health, including vaping, physical activity and diet, alcohol and tobacco, drug use, and the area that inflamed most parents, sexual activity and transmitted diseases.

Several attendees spoke out against the survey, claiming it violates privacy. Several felt that certain questions were parallel to grooming.

“Don’t do this survey. I consider it grooming and giving kids the idea that they should have sex, even if they aren’t,” stated parent Chris Tyree, “Schools shouldn’t do this. This is the parents’ job.”

The questions at the center of controversy involve questions about occurrences of intercourse, if ever, and at what age, and use of protection and birth control. There are a total of six questions.

There are also three questions regarding sexual violence, specifically if anyone has been forced into sexual activities of kissing, touching, or being physically forced to have intercourse.

The Alaska version of the YRBS eliminates the two questions on the National YRBS survey related to gender identity and identification.

Jackie Goforth, a romance novel writer from Palmer, told the board that what she writes is considered “NC-17 and not appropriate for kids. Neither is this survey. Nobody gets to tell anyone of their last sexual experience, forced or otherwise,” adding that the survey is little more than “grooming for CPS to take kids away,” before imploring the board that the YRBS is unacceptable for the Mat-Su.

The MSBSD school board was scheduled to discuss the survey as part of a work session, moved to the end of the meeting. Work sessions are meant for board members to discuss an item without an audience. The agenda for the next MSBSD meeting has not been made available as of this printing, so it is unclear if it will be on the next meeting.

“The YRBS gives schools and legislators an insight into what's going on in kids’ lives regarding risky behaviors,” said Tim Walters.

“It really does come down to ‘Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.’ If students aren't having their basic physiological and safety needs met, they're not in their best mindset to learn. The YRBS helps schools and legislators gain some insight into what's going on with our teens.”

The survey is anonymous-it does not asking for students’ names-though it does ask for age, gender, race, and height and weight. Participation in the survey is not mandatory, and parents are required to give permission and if there are any questions that students may find uncomfortable, they are allowed to skip and leave blank.

Students 18 or older, however, do not need parental permission to take the survey.

The survey, which is administrated under the State of Alaska Department of Health, states that the YRBS is a school-based survey of Alaska high school students.

The survey helps school districts and schools, communities understand and meet the needs of Alaska teens. These groups use YRBS data to develop school health policies and programs, promote health, prevent disease and write grants.

The information gleaned from the survey is also utilized by state agencies and related groups and non-profits, such as the Tobacco Prevention & Control for Alaska Family Services and the Mat-Su Opioid Task Force. The information is also forwarded to other agencies to develop health education, sexual health awareness and sexual violence courses, behavioral health programs, suicide, and other outreach programs.

“I can’t speak for the whole survey, but the questions concerning vaping and the information we get from it critical to the work we do,” said Heidi Pace, the Program Coordinator Tobacco Prevention & Control for Alaska Family Services, and the Chair of Breathe Free Mat-Su.

“We have a vaping problem here and the survey is valuable. The data is crucial for funding and reaching the needs of the kids.”

As to why the survey is distributed at schools, the YRBS website states that a school-based survey provides a controlled setting under strict standardized guidelines, which is the best way to protect student privacy, ensure anonymity, and collect credible data.

The MSBSD has the option to not participate, which could skew YRBS results for the entire state.

For more information and to view current and previous YRBS surveys, please visit: health.alaska.gov/dph/Chronic/Pages/yrbs/questionnaires.

The next scheduled MSBSD School Board meeting is Wednesday, February 1 at 6:00 pm.