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Huron Valley Schools Should Stick to Basics

Our school district is considering a "Risky Behavior Survey" as described below in a Milford Times article.

 

 I understand why the school board is concerned about kids’ habits, and appreciate that they want to help. However, many times surveys like this can create problems just by the suggestions of the questions.   

 

Also, what exactly are district officials going to do with the results of these studies? Will it be a waste of time and money, with no followup at all? Or will the results be individually tracked and followed up WITH the parents? My guess is that school officials may plan to once again take away the parents’ responsibilities, and handle the issues themselves.

 

A fellow citizen sent a letter to the editor, listed below. I totally agree with this letter. The school and government feel it is their job to take over and raise our kids because too many parents have relinquished their responsibilities to the schools, and to the government. This is why minors can have abortions without parental permission, and this is why very young high school students can join gay support groups without their parents’ permission or knowledge.

 

Schools should stick to their basic tasks. They should concentrate on educating our kids, and not continue to waste our taxes by getting into areas beyond their scope. If the school district stuck with the basics, they would not have lost millions of dollars in school operating costs on the recreational facilities, which were supposed to be self sufficient from the start. If the schools stuck to the basics, they would not be talking about running day care centers and other businesses in a school building that will soon be vacant. (Note This school will be vacant due to “under enrollment,” despite the fact that ten years ago, the public was sold on the need to build a new school that future population statistics did not support)

 

Parents and all citizens, it is time that we stand up and fight for the right to raise children with minimal state interference. It is also time that we insist that all of our forms of government get back to the basics, and stay out of areas that should be run by private business. We can not continue to pay outrageous taxes so that the government can have more power and continue to expand its inefficiencies.

 

District seeks new risky behavior survey
By Alison Bergsieker
STAFF WRITER MILFORD TIMES
 

Huron Valley's school board members want to know more about the personal lives of the district's students, but they recently turned down a statewide, standardized, free survey offered to them.

The desired survey would target school teens on issues such as alcohol, tobacco, sexual activity, suicide and violence. But Board President Jennifer Beam said the survey that various school committees and administrators reviewed — the Michigan Youth Risk Behavior Survey — seemed too biased to administer to students.

   

"Many of the questions were misleading," Beam said. "We want a survey of that nature, just not that one."

Those same committees and administrators suggested skipping the survey questions focusing on sexual behavior and suicide.

"Some of the groups didn't feel comfortable asking the questions about suicide and sex... They didn't feel it was appropriate," said DeputySuperintendent Nancy Coratti.

But some school board members disagreed, and also felt the survey should be offered to younger students, too, where risky behaviors could be caught earlier. The original plan called for polling high school juniors, yet the survey also is available to seventh- and ninth-graders.

"These kids are dealing with issues earlier than we ever did, and it's sort of short-sighted not to address it," said Debbie Squires, school board secretary. "If they take the survey in middle school, it gives us an opportunity to change the risky behaviors they already have."

Others on the board agreed.

"Kids are running risk so much earlier. Excluding middle school kids in the testing is wrong," Trustee Joe Ghislain said.

Trustee John Knight also felt the survey was limited overall. "I just think it's prudish," he said.

The Michigan Youth Risk Behavior Survey is part of a nationwide surveying effort led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to monitor students' health risks and behaviors in six categories — unintentional injury and violence, tobacco use, alcohol and drug use, sexual behaviors that contribute to unintended pregnancy or disease, dietary behaviors and physical inactivity.

Michigan was part of a 2003 survey conducted statewide anonymously to a selective group of 3,452 ninth- through 12th-graders. That survey included issues related to drinking, sexual activity and more.

If the district used that survey, a grant would pay the costs of administering it, which would be conducted on-line during school hours.

However, Beam said plans call for finding a different survey. Then, school officials will discuss which student groups receive the survey and how it is written.

Contact Alison Bergsieker at (248) 685-1507 ext. 260 or at abergsieker@gannett.com.

 

Letter - Survey plan improper

Based on Alison Bergsieker's March 13 front page story in the Milford Times, "District seeks new risky behavior survey," I am a concerned parent and citizen respectfully asking the Huron Valley School Board and all concerned parents to speak out and stop continued efforts by our school board to survey our children for "risky behavior." The survey would ask our children very personal and private questions in areas such as safety habits, weapons, violence, depression, suicide, tobacco use, alcohol use, drug use, sexual activity, diet, exercise, medical conditions and gambling behavior. The mission of the Huron Valley Schools (www.huronvalley.k12.mi.us) is to "provide a premier education which prepares all students to thrive in a global society." The mission of the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) (http://www.michigan.gov/mde) is also on "academic achievement."

The focus is on educating our children academically and not the personal and private behavior of our children. The school and government in my opinion should not attempt to act as the parent, psychologist or psychiatrist for our children. Both the Huron Valley School Board and MDE are overstepping their bounds of responsibility in my opinion.


 

The Michigan Youth Risk Behavior Survey was led by the U.S. Federal Government Centers for Disease Control (www.cdc.gov) to monitor student health risks and behaviors. The CDC's role is to "promote health and quality of life by preventing and controlling disease, injury, and disability." If the CDC would like our children surveyed, then the CDC should contact parents directly and let the parents read the survey and decide if they will let their child take it and submit it to the government. Such surveys should be voluntary and decided by the parent (or guardian), not the student or a school board. The MDE has completed many surveys to date and now have much historic data. There is no reason that such data is needed in every school district in the country or now at Huron Valley.

The school's role related to "risky behavior" should remain in the context of teaching students a fact-based health "education." The schools should also immediately notify parents and/or the proper authorities if there is clear evidence witnessed by a teacher or administrator that a child is being abused, involved in "illegal risky behavior," or an unsafe situation exists on school grounds.

This is another example of government institutions stretching the boundaries of their responsibility. With America's students struggling to keep up academically with other countries in this global economy perhaps we should focus all of the school board's attention on improving the education of our children. I suggest the school board and MDE create a new survey focused on improving our educational system and issue it to students, parents, teachers and administrators with focus areas such as teacher performance, principal performance, school staff performance, student performance, parental involvement, curriculum, homework, facilities, busing issues, ideas for improvement, etc.

Then use the feedback to plan and implement real changes to help our children obtain a "premier education" where our public schools are supposed to focus. Please leave "risky behavior" information gathering to parents and other institutions that specialize in such issues.

Sincerely,

Alan R. Coloske

Milford Township

 

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