TEEN SURVEY COULD HAVE GREAT PAYOFF FOR SCHOOLS

If enough teens participate, the Kansas Communities That Care Student
Survey can measure and predict delinquency, substance abuse and violence.

But only 26 percent of Wichita students take the survey. Backers of
the survey would like to have 80 percent participation. They blame the
low response on a Wichita schools policy called "active consent."
Parents must sign a form permitting their children to take surveys. By
contrast, many districts require parents to opt out of such surveys.

Unless participation rises, the state could miss out on a $14 million
federal grant to combat underage drinking.

A nonprofit drug and alcohol abuse prevention agency wants the Wichita
school board to make an exception and allow the survey to reach more
students.

But school board members said the active consent policy is in place
for good reasons, including students' privacy.

The board's concerns are completely reasonable. Still, it should grant
the exception.

The CTC survey, given to students biannually from sixth grade to 12th
grade, is the premier measurement tool of its kind nationally, said
the Rev. Dave Fulton, board chair of the Regional Prevention Center,
the agency behind the survey locally.

"Kansas was one of the first three states it was used in," Fulton
said. "Topeka uses it. Lawrence uses it. Johnson County uses it. And
they're getting federal grant money by using it, too."

The Stand Together Coalition, a subsidiary agency of the Regional
Prevention Center, plans to submit the grant proposal to the Sedgwick
County Division of Human Services. The deadline is Nov. 26.

Fulton said the grant money would flow through the county to the
community to directly address underage drinking.

"It's not like we're trying to get grant money for ourselves," he
said.

School board member Lynn Rogers said the need for an active consent
policy arose years ago when a child who had been struggling with
personal issues was asked about suicide in a survey. (Fulton points
out that the survey doesn't ask about sexuality or suicide -- it asks
about drugs, alcohol and guns).

And an exception, Rogers said, is a slippery slope. Lots of groups and
individuals have surveys, each as worthy as the other.

"At some point, you have to draw a line in the sand," Rogers said. "We
can get so wrapped up in these kinds of things that we don't have time
to do the things we need to do in classrooms. The schools can't do
everything."

Board President Connie Dietz said the board tries to balance
contributing civically with its need to adhere to the Family
Educational Rights and Privacy Act, the federal mandate that protects
the rights of pupils.

"This is the real struggle we have," Dietz said. "We're wanting to be
good members of the community while still saying to parents, 'You're
in charge of your kids and you need to be involved.'

"We have to think beyond one survey."

Fulton says this is the survey the board should accommodate.

He contends that alcohol and drug abuse is the societal problem of our
age. Society has entire industries built on cure instead of prevention.

"The cure is building more jails," said Fulton, also pastor of St.
Paul's Lutheran Church.".. Why not allocate some of that money for
prevention?"

He's right. We should focus more on prevention. This survey is a good
place to start.

I trust the school board to be able to determine which studies or
surveys are worthy and which ones invade privacy or needlessly gobble
up class time.

Students would benefit from millions in federal money. Parents would
get a deeper understanding of the challenges their children face at
school.

This is a great opportunity.

No question.