Board approves Pennsylvania Youth Survey amid questions about race-identification item
October 17, 2025 | Derry Area SD, School Districts, Pennsylvania
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The Derry Area School District Board of Directors voted to approve administration of the Pennsylvania Youth Survey (PAYS) for grades 6, 8, 10 and 12 for the 2025–26 school year.
Julie Lovas, director of prevention services at the Westmoreland Drug and Alcohol Commission, and Donna Keane, executive director of St. Vincent College Prevention Projects, presented the survey to the board and described its purpose: to collect anonymous student-reported data on substance use, violence, mental health and school climate to inform prevention and student-support planning. “The survey is anonymous so you will not be able to tell what child answered what questions,” Lovas said.
Presenters said the PAYS is sponsored by the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD), is free to any Pennsylvania school, and typically is administered every two years; local reports from the 2025 administration are expected in April 2026. They also said the survey commonly takes about 20–40 minutes per class, students may skip any question they do not wish to answer, and parents may opt students out by following the district’s passive-consent procedures.
During board discussion, several members raised objections to question 3, which asks students to identify their race or ethnicity using categories such as Asian, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino and others. One board member said asking students about race “contradicts” the district’s civility work and asked why the survey needs that question. Other board members suggested students could be instructed not to answer that specific item and asked administration to contact the survey director to ask whether the question can be removed for future administrations.
Despite those objections, the motion to approve administration of the survey passed. Board members said they will distribute information to families about the survey and the opt-out procedure; presenters offered to help districts interpret results and to create fact sheets for parents and staff. Presenters also noted that Derry has historical PAYS participation dating back to 2003, which allows the district to track trends over time.
No legislation was changed by the vote; administration will proceed with scheduling and communications about the upcoming survey and will follow up with the survey director about the race-identification question.
Julie Lovas, director of prevention services at the Westmoreland Drug and Alcohol Commission, and Donna Keane, executive director of St. Vincent College Prevention Projects, presented the survey to the board and described its purpose: to collect anonymous student-reported data on substance use, violence, mental health and school climate to inform prevention and student-support planning. “The survey is anonymous so you will not be able to tell what child answered what questions,” Lovas said.
Presenters said the PAYS is sponsored by the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD), is free to any Pennsylvania school, and typically is administered every two years; local reports from the 2025 administration are expected in April 2026. They also said the survey commonly takes about 20–40 minutes per class, students may skip any question they do not wish to answer, and parents may opt students out by following the district’s passive-consent procedures.
During board discussion, several members raised objections to question 3, which asks students to identify their race or ethnicity using categories such as Asian, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino and others. One board member said asking students about race “contradicts” the district’s civility work and asked why the survey needs that question. Other board members suggested students could be instructed not to answer that specific item and asked administration to contact the survey director to ask whether the question can be removed for future administrations.
Despite those objections, the motion to approve administration of the survey passed. Board members said they will distribute information to families about the survey and the opt-out procedure; presenters offered to help districts interpret results and to create fact sheets for parents and staff. Presenters also noted that Derry has historical PAYS participation dating back to 2003, which allows the district to track trends over time.
No legislation was changed by the vote; administration will proceed with scheduling and communications about the upcoming survey and will follow up with the survey director about the race-identification question.
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