Board to consider student survey (active consent) and compensation pay survey registration

During the work session Delaware Valley SD trustees discussed two informational items scheduled for the Oct. 16 regular meeting: participation in a student survey program and a district pay (compensation) survey.

Presenters previously described the student survey as using active parental consent (parents must opt in) for selected classes at specific grade levels (commonly sixth, eighth, 10th and 12th grades). Board members asked whether parents could review survey questions and whether parents could complete the survey at home with the student; presenters said the latter was generally not permitted because it can compromise data integrity but parents could review questions. Board members expressed a preference for limited classroom selection (one to two classes per grade) and said the district should use active consent language that goes home to parents.

On the pay survey, presenters told the board there is a late‑fall registration deadline. Board members asked staff to request a firm deadline from the vendor and to ask for details about funding and how participation (or nonparticipation) might affect any grant or regional funding allocation. One board member proposed a short timeline: collect clarifying questions by the Tuesday before the packet, ask the vendor for answers by Thursday, and then either vote to proceed or table the item at the Oct. 16 meeting.

No final decision was made. The board instructed staff to gather outstanding answers on question content, funding implications and vendor deadlines and to circulate that information to directors before the Oct. 16 meeting so members could vote or table the item with full information.