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Panel hears data, privacy and participation arguments after parental‑notice survey bill is withdrawn
Summary
HB 1191, which would have required parental notice/opt‑in for nonacademic surveys, was withdrawn by its sponsor; witnesses from school districts, NAMI, and public‑health groups urged that the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) uses appropriate privacy protections and that switching to opt‑in would reduce participation and undermine prevention planning.
The committee was informed that House Bill 1191 — proposing parental notice/opt‑in for nonacademic surveys in public schools — had been withdrawn by the prime sponsor and cosponsors. Committee members discussed procedural next steps: withdrawal will go to the House for a vote and the scheduled committee hearing remained available for testimony from interested parties.
Multiple witnesses used the scheduled hearing to explain how New Hampshire school districts currently implement the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) and why they oppose changing to an opt‑in model. Barbara Slayton (Franklin School District) said districts notify parents two to four weeks before administration, provide the survey for review, and offer opt‑out procedures including forms, emails and phone contact. She said the survey collects no names, uses coded identifiers for electronic administration, and that students may decline to participate on their own. Slayton warned that an opt‑in requirement would dramatically lower response rates and make sample results unusable for local prevention and intervention planning.
Public‑health and mental‑health advocates reinforced that message. Holly Stevens of NAMI New Hampshire and Kate Fry of New Futures noted that YRBS data have guided suicide prevention and service placement; Stevens cited statewide figures showing high rates of sadness and suicidal ideation among youth and said YRBS participation in 2021 and 2023 reached roughly 65%, above a state target of about 60% for representative samples. Advocates argued the existing statute strikes an appropriate balance between parental involvement and the public interest in valid surveillance data for youth health programs.
The committee closed the hearing on the withdrawn bill after hearing testimony; members indicated they would rely on the House calendar action to finalize withdrawal status.
