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Student Survey Grade 9, 10 Limit Clouds Funding Data

[CREDIT: Rob Borkowski] Warwick Veterans Middle School, 2401 W Shore Rd, Warwick, RI, is the venue for the Warwick School Committee meetings.

[CREDIT: Rob Borkowski] Warwick Veterans Middle School, 2401 W Shore Rd, Warwick, RI, is the venue for the Warwick School Committee meetings. On March 10, the Committee voted to limit the RI Student Survey to Grades 9 and 10.
[CREDIT: Rob Borkowski] Warwick Veterans Middle School, 2401 W Shore Rd, Warwick, RI, is the venue for the Warwick School Committee meetings. On March 10, the Committee voted to limit the RI Student Survey to Grades 9 and 10.
WARWICK, RI — Warwick School Committee’s March 10, 4-1 vote to limit the Rhode Island Student Survey to Grade 9 and 10  will also limit information used to plan funding for youth risk prevention and assistance.

School Committee Member David Testa, the lone vote against the Student Survey restriction, said it does that unnecessarily. The survey, which has been administered to Warwick students for years, has a parental opt-out option that has always been a part of it. Any parent or family uncomfortable with the survey has always been able to exempt their child from the survey, he said.

Testa said as much during the March 10 meeting. School Committee Chairman Scott Galligan also mentioned the opt-out option, noting his vote supporting the limit the survey to older students was a compromise, but that he was personally comfortable with allowing parents to make their own choice about the questionnaire.

‘That’s where I come down – allow parents to opt-out their child if they see fit. Also, allow parents to see what’s in the survey if they’re unsure before they make that decision. I thought that was entirely reasonable. Further, parents could also tell their kids to simply not answer any questions(s) they’re not comfortable with,” Testa said.

Any parent or family uncomfortable with the survey has always been able to exempt their child from the survey

During the meeting, Committee Member Leah Hazlewood expressed concern about whether questions asked of the younger children, including about suicide, were appropriate. When reached for further comment, she elaborated on her thinking.

“My decision to limit the Rhode Island Student Survey to 9th and 10th grade students, while not administering it to younger students ages 10–13, was based on a careful balance between the value of the data and the concerns expressed by our families. Many parents shared that certain topics in the survey were not age-appropriate for middle school students, and it is important to respect those perspectives, especially for children at earlier developmental stages.

At the same time, the survey remains a valuable tool at the high school level, where students are more mature and the data is most heavily relied upon to guide prevention efforts, mental health supports, and funding opportunities. This approach allows Warwick to continue benefiting from meaningful, actionable data while honoring the voices of our community and making decisions that reflect both responsibility and respect for our families,” Hazlewood said.

‘Many parents shared that certain topics in the survey were not age-appropriate for middle school students,’ — Leah Hazlewood

“While I understand that some may consider some of the info to be ‘too mature’ for a 10 year-old 6th-grader, in my view, that’s not the case for 12 and 13 year-olds – these early adolescent years can be very, very difficult for those kids to navigate for a variety of reasons,” Testa said.

Kerri White, communications director for the Executive Office of Health & Human Services, noted the lack of information gathered by the Rhode Island Student Survey will affect funding and service decisions.

Student Survey Data Informs Funding, Assistance

“When a district does not participate in the survey it means we are not able to add their data to the information we get from other school districts, which provides a less complete picture of trends, both positive and negative, about what students are doing with reference to substances, bullying and other behaviors. The survey data also informs decisions about future funding for prevention programs and student assistance services. Districts and students can choose to opt out, but again, more participation provides a more accurate picture of current trends,” White wrote.
‘The purpose of the survey is to gather data that can help identify areas of concern – and strengths –  among our students. By exempting the entire middle school grades, we just won’t have any information from that large cohort of students. I think it’s a missed opportunity,” Testa said.
Rob Borkowski
Author: Rob Borkowski

Rob has worked as reporter and editor for several publications, including The Kent County Daily Times and Coventry Courier, before working for Gatehouse in MA then moving home with Patch Media. Now he's publisher and editor of WarwickPost.com. Contact him at editor@warwickpost.com with tips, press releases, advertising inquiries, and concerns.

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