As part of our cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), all middle, junior, and senior high schools are required to complete the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) in cooperation with the Intervention Services department. In addition, as a condition of accepting funds for tobacco prevention education from the California Department of Education (CDE), we are required to complete the California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS).

The YRBS was developed by the CDC and is the instrument used nationwide to gather health information about adolescents. This is the seventh biannual YRBS conducted in our district. The survey includes questions concerning alcohol, tobacco and other drug use; nutrition; intentional and unintentional injuries; physical exercises; and sexual behavior. The YRBS has been endorsed by the superintendent and has become an important component in the development of programs that promote healthy behaviors in the young people of our district.

The CHKS will survey students statewide and covers topics related to alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs. The main focus is on behavior relating to Title IV and the Federal Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act.

To minimize the impact on your instructional program, the surveys will be conducted simultaneously between March 1, and March 16. Different classrooms will be selected for each survey. A small number of classes in Grades 7, 9, and 11 will be randomly selected by the CDE for the CHKS. For the YRBS, a small number of classes in Grades 9-12 will be randomly selected by the CDC. The Intervention Services department staff will mail parent permission letters and administer the survey once parent permission is received.