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Delaware Valley board hears presentation on PA Youth Survey; tables decision to September
Summary
Presenters told the Delaware Valley School District board the PA Youth Survey (PAYS) produces district-level, anonymous data used for prevention planning and grant applications; board members raised questions about consent, student follow‑up and logistics and voted to table approval until the September work session.
Delaware Valley School District trustees heard a presentation about the PA Youth Survey (PAYS) at a public meeting, and after questions from trustees and community members the board voted to table a decision on participating until its September meeting.
Presenters from a local prevention agency described the survey as a tool to measure student risk and protective factors and to guide selection of evidence‑based prevention programs. “This is considered the gold standard of youth surveys, and it also is 100% totally anonymous,” a presenter said, describing how the vendor (Bach Harrison) handles administration and reporting. The presenter said district reports go only to the superintendent, and the superintendent decides who receives the district report.
Board members and parents pressed presenters on several operational points: whether the district would use passive or active parental consent, how many students must participate for results to be valid, how the survey would handle sensitive mental‑health questions for students not previously identified as at risk, and what local follow‑up would look like if students’ answers raised concerns.
Presenters said skip‑logic in the survey shortens question sets for many students, that a new fourth‑grade instrument was piloted and is being offered this year, and that PAYS is typically administered online (most districts do so). They said state funding from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) covers survey costs for participating districts in many cases and that PAYS reports can help when applying for grants.
Trustees repeatedly asked how the district would make sure students who disclosed self‑harm thoughts or other acute risks would get timely help, since survey responses are anonymous and the vendor delivers only aggregate reports. Superintendent Dr. Blom said the district expects any implementation plan to include proctoring and clear instructions for students about whom to contact, and to coordinate with the district’s Student Assistance and mental‑health teams for follow‑up when concerns surface in other ways.
Parents at the meeting urged opportunities for preview and discussion of the questions; presenters offered to host parent information sessions and to provide copies of the survey questions on request. Presenters and staff also described participation thresholds for reporting (they said a school or grade generally needs at least 25 students to receive a valid report for that grade) and said summer “preview” reports are sometimes available during the administration window.
After discussion the board made a motion to table the agenda item on adopting the 2025 PAYS administration for Delaware Valley and to revisit the item at the September work session so trustees and staff could develop more detailed plans for consent, proctoring, and post‑survey follow up. The motion to table carried.
The district’s presenters said they would make themselves available for additional meetings with trustees and parents and that they could provide technical materials and sample reports in advance of the September discussion.
