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Burlington school committee holds first reading on YRBS, leaves opt‑in/opt‑out choice to future votes
Summary
A first reading of two policies would require the Wellness Committee and full school committee to review Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) content and decide each administration’s opt‑in or opt‑out procedure; the drafts would also publish non‑educational screeners online and clarify parental notice periods.
The Burlington School Committee on a first reading reviewed proposed policies that would require the Wellness Committee to review the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) before the district administers it and send recommendations to the full school committee, which would vote on both the survey content and whether the administration should use opt‑in or opt‑out procedures.
Superintendent Eric Conti said the YRBS would use the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the Massachusetts Department of Public Health model and that "questions and responses will be made by the full school committee with notice to the public and the opportunity for open discussion." He described a 30‑day notice period for YRBS administrations and said results would be shared with the superintendent or their designee.
The draft gives the committee discretion to approve the survey and to choose an opt‑in or opt‑out process each time the instrument is offered. Member Jeremy expressed concern that leaving the choice to the committee could produce year‑to‑year ambiguity and urged a clearer default; Member Chris noted the committee historically lacked four votes to set a permanent rule and said the proposed approach provides flexibility.
A related draft covering all non‑educational student surveys would publish the instruments year‑round on the district website, shorten notice for those screeners to 15 days and require the committee to decide whether to permit opt‑in or opt‑out for each screening event. The list of screeners cited by administrators includes Wayfinder SEL screeners, SBIRT (Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment), vision and hearing screeners, BMI measurements and school climate surveys.
Administrators and the district attorney’s office drafted the language to align with state and federal requirements. The committee did not vote on the policies at the meeting; the proposals were moved forward as first readings and scheduled for further public discussion and a future vote.
What’s next: The committee will take comments and return for a second reading on the policies at a later meeting, when the full text and any edits from tonight’s discussion will be considered.
