Youth Risk Behavior Survey

November 30, 1998

Point Of Contact:  
Kenton Pattie 
KentonP1@aol.com

(703) 280-4622 (days) 
(703) 280-4622 (home)

8521 Frost Way
Annandale VA 22003

Fairfax County Council Of PTA’s Position: 
Virginia should proceed promptly to enable all Virginia school districts to participate in the Youth Risk Behavior Survey published by the Centers for Disease Control.

Background: 
The survey asks questions of middle and high school students on 38 risk behaviors. The survey determines at what age risk behaviors are begun and the prevalence of these behaviors over six teenage years. The survey is optional for each school district; parental approval is required for each child.

While most states use the CDC Youth Risk Behavior Survey, Virginia does not. This decision was made at the beginning of the Allen Administration. Once Virginia declined to cooperate with the CDC, Federal survey funding for local school districts was cut off. In the midst of early 90's budget cuts, once Fairfax was informed it would have to pay for the survey itself, Fairfax withdrew. Meanwhile Loudoun County, Waynesboro, and other Virginia communities regularly use the CDC survey with no help from Virginia.

Discussion: 
The Fairfax County Council of PTA's, the Fairfax Partnership for Youth and the community coalitions seek the data to help us (1) develop prevention programs (2) monitor the effectiveness of prevention programs and (3) apply for grants to fund prevention programs. We have limited funds and urgently need to (1) focus our investment where it will do the most good and (2) have data to measure our successes and failures. The taxpayers should know what youth in our county are doing. Currently, the only way to know is to study the arrest, conviction, suspension and expulsion figures from the schools, police and courts -- data which focuses on the wrong end of the spectrum. Virginia should use the CDC survey because it is (1) written and ready to use (2) offers extensive data on previous results (3) a way for Fairfax County to compare itself to other suburbs. Virginia should not write its own survey because such an effort would be (1) unnecessary duplication of surveys already written (2) expensive, perhaps $450,000 of un-appropriated money (3) a delay until such a Virginia-only survey is thoroughly tested and approved.

The 1998 General Assembly directed the State to proceed with a survey. But the State Board has postponed any decision until next year. The delay is frustrating; worse, it undermines the intent and direction of the General Assembly.

Recommendation: 
The General Assembly should (1) ask the State Board to proceed with a survey immediately, using a published survey most likely to give us prompt comparative information and (2) fund any necessary survey expenses.

enclosure: Copy of Youth Survey

Last Updated 01/27/2005 20:22:31