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Central Consolidated board approves participation in Navajo youth risk behavior survey for fall 2026
Summary
The Central Consolidated Schools board voted to allow the Navajo Youth Risk Behavior Survey to be administered to students in grades 6–12 this fall, citing the survey’s role in identifying trends in vaping, bullying and mental-health indicators and guiding local interventions and grant applications.
The Central Consolidated Schools board voted unanimously on May 18 to participate in the Navajo Youth Risk Behavior Survey during the fall 2026 term, district and public-health presenters said.
The survey, presented by Justine Yazy of the Navajo Department of Health and colleague Mira Pablo, gathers anonymous, voluntary responses from students in grades six through 12 on topics including nutrition, physical activity, vaping and tobacco use, bullying and cyberbullying, suicide ideation, and injury-prevention behaviors. Yazy said the instrument takes roughly one class period to complete and can be implemented using either active or passive parental permission depending on a principal’s choice.
Board members said local results will help prioritize interventions and funding requests. "Students that are healthier are better learners," Yazy told the board, explaining that the data are used to monitor trends and support applications for state and federal grants. Board members asked whether individual-school reports were available; presenters said each participating school receives its own results but that the Navajo Department of Health does not publish school-level data without the principal's consent.
During the discussion, Mr. So asked whether the survey can highlight outlier schools for targeted responses; presenters said principals receive their school reports and can share findings with the district to coordinate interventions. Several trustees pressed for questions on screen time, social-media use and distracted driving; Yazy confirmed those topics or related items, such as screen time outside class and texting while driving, could be emphasized in future surveys.
The board made a motion to accept the program for fall 2026; after a roll-call vote the motion passed with all members present voting yes. The board directed staff to work with principals to set dates and distribute parent notice forms and to return any follow-up details needed for implementation.
What happens next: schools will coordinate logistics with the Navajo Department of Health, prepare parental notification materials and select dates; individual principals will determine active or passive permission for their sites. The district and presenters said the survey results will be used for local planning and to strengthen grant and programmatic funding requests.
