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Heated hearing on youth risk behavior survey: sponsors push opt‑in transparency; public health officials warn data loss would undercut prevention funding
Summary
The Senate Education Committee heard hours of testimony on a proposal to require parental opt‑in for the Youth Risk Behavior Survey and to mandate school districts email parents copies of non‑academic surveys; public‑health officials warned the change would reduce participation and impair prevention efforts.
The Senate Education Committee held a lengthy, often emotional hearing on House Bill 446, which would require school districts to email parents copies of non‑academic surveys and would change the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) from an opt‑out to an opt‑in process.
Sponsor Representative Melissa Litchfield told the committee she sought to make non‑academic surveys truly voluntary and transparent. "I want to make very clear that this bill does not abolish the youth risk behavior survey… it would simply be opt in," Litchfield said. She said the YRBS addresses topics unrelated to academics and that some parents and students find questions intrusive and triggering.
Opposing testimony came from a broad coalition of public‑health officials, school staff, police, suicide‑prevention advocates and nonprofit grant recipients who said the YRBS provides essential,…
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