Schools

Are You Concerned About the PAYS Survey?

One local parent says a state survey to be distributed to middle and high school students in the Central Bucks School District is inappropriate and invasive.

A survey to be distributed to middle and high school students statewide, including at Central Bucks, has prompted one local resident to warn parents.

The Pennsylvania Youth Survey, or PAYS, has been done throughout Pennsylvania since 1989. It is voluntary, according to information from the state.

The survey, which is done every two years, is distributed to school students in 6th, 8th, 10th and 12th grades "to learn about their behavior, attitudes and knowledge concerning alcohol, tobacco, other drugs and violence," according to the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency's website. 

But one local resident is publicly warning residents about the survey, saying it's invasive and inappropriate.

In a blog on Doylestown Patch, local resident Anastasia Przybylski warns parents that the survey is "invasive" and asks inappropriate questions about family life, drug use and relationships.

"I read the survey and was shocked by questions that are to be asked of 6th, 8th, 10th, 12th graders across the Commonwealth," Przybylski says in her blog.

A copy of the survey is available online. Questions cover topics such as illegal drug use, parental relationships, underage drinking, texting while driving, religion, tobacco use and more.

According to the state website, the PAYS survey serves two primary needs.

"First, the results provide school administrators, state agency directors, legislators and others with critical information concerning the changes in patterns of the use and abuse of these harmful substances and behaviors," the state website says. 

"Second, the survey assesses risk factors that are related to these behaviors and the protective factors that help guard against them. This information allows community leaders to direct prevention resources to areas where they are likely to have the greatest impact." 

What do you think of the PAYS survey? Do you think it is useful or do you agree with Przybylski?  


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