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Board approves State Department of Education survey questions for students, staff and parents
Summary
The Cheshire Board of Education unanimously approved State Department of Education–recommended survey questions for students in grades 3–12, staff and parents; the district will administer the student survey in class after April break and give families an opt-out option.
The Cheshire Board of Education unanimously approved a motion to use the State Department of Education’s recommended survey questions for students, staff and parents.
Board member Miss Cullinan moved the approval and Mr. Eke seconded; the vote was unanimous.
The survey will be given to students in grades 3 through 12 in classrooms after the April break, district staff said. "The parent survey will be sent directly to all families via ParentSquare," said Miss Solano, a district staff member, who described the distribution plan. She added that parents will receive a letter with a PDF copy of the survey and "an opportunity to opt their child out of the survey if they would like." The staff survey will be sent to all employees who work in the buildings, not only teaching staff.
Miss Solano said the district typically allows about two weeks for responses and sends reminders to increase participation. She told the board that historically student response rates exceed 90% at elementary levels and are somewhat lower at the high school. After collection, results will be analyzed at the school level by each building’s safe school climate committee, reviewed at a district safe school climate meeting in May, and used to inform summer safe school climate improvement plans that will be posted online.
Board members asked about logistics and timing. Miss Harrigan asked how the parent and staff surveys would be distributed; Miss Solano answered with the ParentSquare plan and the opt‑out letter. The board confirmed administration after the April break and that each survey is expected to take roughly 10 minutes.
The motion on the floor read: "That the Cheshire Board of Education approves the survey questions as recommended by the State Department of Education." The board voted unanimously in favor.
District staff said the questions are taken directly from the State Department’s recommended list and that the district had received the guidance only recently. The board asked that staff share participation-rate data after the administration.
No further formal actions were taken on the survey at this meeting.
