Frequently Asked Questions

A Parent Fact Sheet for the

2005 Nebraska Risk and Protective Factor

Student Survey

 

What is the Nebraska Risk and Protective Factor Student Survey (NRPFSS)?

The survey is designed to provide schools and communities with important local-level data to help them plan effective prevention and intervention programs to reduce substance abuse, and antisocial behaviors among youth. The survey is conducted with 6^th, 8^th, 10^th, and 12^th grade students on alternating years.  The Nebraska Department of Education and the Nebraska Health and Human Services System began co-administering the Nebraska Risk and Protective Factor Student Survey in October 2003.  This fact sheet answers important questions about the survey.

 

What is the focus of the School Survey?

The student survey collects information on rates of substance abuse and antisocial behaviors among youth.  This information is important for understanding the extent of substance abuse and other issues that may exist at the community level.   In addition, the survey also collects extremely important data on the risk and protective factors that predispose youth toward—or protect them against—substance abuse and/or violence.  Just as there are scientifically-validated risk factors and protective factors for heart disease and other chronic illnesses, there are also now scientifically-validated risk and protective factors for substance abuse as well.  Having information on the factors present at the local level allows schools and communities to select effective and locally-appropriate prevention strategies that can reduce substance abuse and related problems among youth.

 

Who can participate in the survey?

All public and private schools and their community partners are eligible to participate in the survey, regardless of prior participation.  Students in the 6th, 8th, 10th, and 12th grades will be surveyed at each participating school.  Participation in this study is completely voluntary.  Each school has a right to decline participation in the survey, just as each student in a school has a right to decline participation if he or she wishes.  However, broad participation in the survey is needed so that an accurate representation of students’ needs and behaviors can be assessed at the state, regional and local levels. 

 

Why should my school participate?

By participating in this survey, your school and its community partners have a valuable opportunity to learn more about the needs of its youth.  The authorized representative of each participating school will receive an individualized report containing local-level data. The results of this survey will assist community school administrators, faculty, staff and their community partners to:

§         gather information regarding factors which may affect student academic achievement and career planning goals;

§         conduct strategic prevention planning based on the needs of youth in the district or surrounding communities;

§         gather information that will help to target behavior problems related to substance abuse and/or violence;

§         estimate the need for specific types of prevention services within the community;

§         meet the goals outlined in the district’s Comprehensive Plan as it relates to school environment, community involvement, learning process, and school risk factors; and

§         enable schools and community coalitions to meet the local risk and protective factor data requirement that is increasingly being required by federal substance abuse prevention funders.

 

How will the data be presented in the report?

The survey reports contain data by grade level, as long as there are a minimum of 25 students in each grade that complete the survey.  This minimum number is used to preserve student anonymity. Schools and school districts may also elect to create a larger survey pool by grouping several schools or districts together by coding all surveys within that group with the same geographic code.  Likewise, the data reports can be generated on a county level.  In these last scenarios, a single report would present data for the entire geographic area.

 

Are sensitive questions asked?

The survey questions have been designed to measure key behaviors and risk and protective factors without asking sensitive questions, although it is possible that some questions may be considered sensitive by some persons.  The survey includes questions related to alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use; related risk and protective factors; and antisocial and violent behaviors.  It is important to remember that the survey is anonymous, so no student response will ever be able to be connected with a student.

 

What is the cost of the survey to the school district?

There is no financial cost associated with participating in the survey, and complimentary survey data reports will be provided to each participating school or school/community partnership.  Since the survey is self-administered during school hours, however, schools do need to set aside time during a school day for the survey to be administered, and designate a contact person to coordinate the distribution and collection of surveys and survey instructions.  Some assistance with survey distribution and collection may be available for schools or districts that request it.

 

What if a student does not want to participate, or a parent does not want their student to participate?

Each student’s participation in this study is completely voluntary.  At the beginning of the class period when the survey will be administered, the teacher will read a prepared statement that informs the students that their participation is voluntary.  They will be given the option to decline to participate, or to skip any question that they prefer not to answer.  Students who decline to participate in the survey will be provided with an alternative activity to do while the survey is being administered.  Likewise, parents have the option to choose not to have their student participate.  Recent federal guidance indicates that schools may use passive consent to participate in the survey, but must inform parents of the survey opportunity and provide them with a mechanism for opting their student out if they so desire.

 

Is student participation anonymous?

Yes, completely.  The student will be given a survey booklet that contains the question items and a place for him or her to record his or her response.  The survey booklet will not have the student’s name, or any other identifying information on it.  Before they begin, students will be reminded that they should not write their name or other identifying information on the booklet.  When completing the survey, students will be arranged in the classroom so that their responses cannot be seen by the teacher administering the survey or by any of the student’s peers.  At the end of the class period, the survey booklets will immediately be gathered and placed in a sealed envelope that is pre-posted to the survey contractor who will scan the surveys and generate the data reports.