District pilot of Florida Youth Survey at Gifford Middle prompts parental-notice concerns
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Summary
Staff said the Florida Youth Survey was administered to a small sample at Gifford Middle; trustees asked why parents reported not receiving permission notices and directed staff to improve advance notice and public documentation of survey materials and opt-out procedures.
District staff told trustees that the 2025 Florida Youth Survey was administered in the spring to a state-selected sample at Gifford Middle School and that the district used paper consent for that small pilot group rather than the district-wide FOCUS parent portal.
How it was run: Staff said the state randomly selects classes and that for 2025 a small sample of roughly 97 students at Gifford Middle participated. Because the sample size was limited, the district used paper consent forms distributed to those families rather than the FOCUS parent portal system, staff said. A small number of parents returned opt-out forms.
Board concerns: Trustees raised concerns that parents reported they had not received prior notice and that a screenshot circulated to the board appeared to show a FOCUS portal notice dated 2023 rather than 2025, creating confusion. Board members asked the administration to ensure future notifications use the district parent portal, website and direct calls when appropriate and to post the full instrument and a plain-language description online for parent review.
Administrative response and next steps: Staff said the district will add a permission line to the annual parent-acknowledgment packet distributed in July so all parents see a statement that “your school may be selected” to receive the survey in future years and that the district will publish the survey instrument and a district FAQ on the website. The superintendent's team also agreed to provide the board with counts of opt-ins and opt-outs for any future administration and to confirm whether the survey sample excluded access-point (special-needs) classes, per DOE guidance.
Ending: The board did not direct participation policy changes but asked for clearer, public-facing documentation and earlier communications to parents in advance of any future FYS participation.