Parents and residents raise concerns about school gun-safety survey and grant process

Multiple residents raised concerns at the Monroe County commissioners’ meeting about a state-funded Community Partnership for Gun Safety grant and a student survey prepared by the Cary Group.

An attendee who spoke at the microphone said the Cary Group’s survey — intended for high-school students in multiple districts — lacked clear options to skip questions and that question wording framed responses without exploring underlying reasons students might hold those views. The speaker said Pleasant Valley was the only district to decline to distribute the survey to high-school students.

Janet Dooner of Polk Township urged parents and caregivers to review surveys and consent language and said she had emailed questions to the grant administrator that were not yet answered. Dooner said parents should be aware of what is asked of their children even at the high-school level.

A county speaker later read from the East Stroudsburg School District survey materials and noted that the district’s introduction told students that participation was voluntary, that they could stop at any time without explanation and that the survey was confidential; the speaker also said students were not required to answer every question. That staff response referenced the district’s stated opt-out and confidentiality provisions for the East Stroudsburg administration of the survey.

Speakers asked the county to provide additional information and follow-up from grant administrators and school officials.