Board adopts MOU with Youth and Family Services and approves Youth Voices survey with parental opt-out

The Old Saybrook Board of Education voted to adopt a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the town’s Youth and Family Services and approved administration of the Youth Voices student survey in fall 2024 using a parental opt-out process.

The board began by reviewing a draft MOU that, staff said, is required by recent state legislation when school districts partner with independent youth-service agencies so student information can be shared under an agreed framework. Staff said the draft in the meeting packet was prepared by outside counsel and agency partners and recommended the board adopt it; the motion to adopt the MOU was seconded and carried.

Why it matters: board members and the district described the MOU as a formal way to allow Youth and Family Services to collaborate with schools on elevated student cases while preserving privacy controls. Board members pressed staff about what parents would be told and how students are identified for follow-up.

Youth and Family Services director Heather said the partnership will not remove parental involvement. "We always ask for a two-way release" and clinical cases require signed releases, she told the board, adding that guidance teams and screening processes are already used to identify students who may need follow-up. Heather also explained that the collaborative work includes community resource referrals and that the agency will provide additional parent sessions to review the MOU and procedures.

On the Youth Voices survey — a districtwide, research-based student health and behavior instrument — the board rescinded an earlier motion that had approved administering the survey as an opt-in. Board discussion then centered on whether to require parents to opt in (actively sign up) or to allow the survey to proceed by default with a parental opt-out. Heather warned that an opt-in approach would sharply reduce response rates: "Opt in severely limits the amount of responses we can expect to get," she said, noting that lower participation reduces the survey’s utility for tracking trends and informing interventions.

Community members and student representatives urged broad participation. Mike Murphy, chairman of the Family Service Commission, told the board he supports inclusive data collection and urged them to maintain broad participation so results reflect student experience. Student representatives said the data helps school staff identify and address issues early.

Practical safeguards: board members and staff agreed to several mitigations before implementing the opt-out model. The survey administrator will provide parent-review sessions (day and evening), an introductory video and on-site clinical staff the day the survey is given to handle any immediate concerns. Staff also said certain sensitive items can be removed for younger grades and that skip-logic will prevent unrelated follow-ups: if a student answers "no" to an item, later, more sensitive follow-ups are not shown.

Outcome and next steps: the board approved administering the Youth Voices survey in fall 2024 with a parental opt-out and authorized the Youth and Family Services director to finalize minor wording or logic clarifications with the survey vendor prior to launch. The MOU adoption and the survey motion carried; staff said results would be returned to the board after analysis and community conversations.