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Board hears mixed views on Pennsylvania Youth Survey; administrators plan to seek approval June 24
Summary
Elizabethtown board discussed the biennial Pennsylvania Youth Survey (PAES/PACE). Administrators said the anonymous survey informs local programming and federal funding uses; some public commenters raised privacy and FERPA concerns and urged the board to opt out.
District staff reviewed the Pennsylvania Youth Survey (also called the PACE or PAES survey) at the June 10 workshop, saying the anonymous, self‑reported questionnaire is administered to grades 6, 8, 10 and 12 and typically runs between September and December.
Mike Schwarzman (district staff) explained the survey is run by the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency to collect data about student behaviors and risk factors, including substance use, violence and mental‑health indicators; results help districts, county agencies and grant programs target services and funding. Schwarzman said the district plans to administer the survey in late November and noted parental opt‑out is available via a consent form.
Superintendent Dr. Nell and other administrators said PACE results can support the district’s eligibility and justification for federal and state funds (for example, Title IV) by providing local data to substantiate spending priorities. An administrator described how the district used prior PACE results to address an uptick in vaping and to develop protocols in coordination with the district justice.
During public comment, several residents voiced privacy and policy objections. One speaker criticized federal changes to FERPA and called the survey intrusive; another, Christy Moore of Etown Common Sense, urged participation and said the anonymous survey helps the district identify needs and allocate resources, including mental‑health supports. Board members asked whether funds would be lost if the district did not participate; staff replied there is no explicit statutory penalty but that funding applications often rely on local data from the survey to justify spending decisions.
The board was told the district will place approval of the survey on the June 24 agenda (the workshop discussion did not authorize administration to administer the survey). Board members and administration said they would circulate more information to answer questions raised about data handling and parental rights ahead of the vote.
