Many parents expressed strong concerns about the very personal questions asked of students in the state-wide "Youth Risk Behavior Survey" (YRBS). We are sponsoring House Bill 70 that makes it very clear that parents must give "active" permission for their child to participate. The successful completion of the YRBS is reported to be necessary for the securing of Federal grant funds.

The survey was administered by 28 districts. Some districts, including the Anchorage School District, chose to not use the survey, in deference to parental concerns. Other districts obtained legal opinions indicating that they did not require "active" parental consent in apparent contradiction of the intent of the legislature. Instead, most districts opted for "passive" permission which means that unless a parent formally objects, the school assumes consent. While parents were upset with the lack of involvement offered, the survey was considered by many to be too invasive and far too personal.

The immediate solution to the dilemma would appear to be getting active parental consent for the surveys. However, public health officials maintain that it would be impractical to handle the logistics and that too few parents would respond positively. Committee Substitute for HB 70 attempts to solve this dilemma by allowing for a once a year "blanket" parental consent for anonymous questionnaires and surveys. I anticipate that each district or school would obtain the annual anonymous questionnaire permission at the time of student registration. With automation, the school should be able to enter and retrieve the list of authorized questionnaire recipients.

Public health officials argue that even this won't work. Even with all-inclusive annual parental permission (active), CSHB 70 requires that parents and students be given two weeks notice before the anonymous survey and another opportunity to decline to participate (passive).

CSHB 70 tries to strike a practical balance between the rights of parents to control the educational experience of their children while allowing public officials to obtain apparently needed information and the grants that follow. The current bill closely follows a law recently passed in Utah.

The bill is currently in the House Rules Committee awaiting a House floor vote. A copy of HB70 can be accessed through the Internet at "http://www.legis.state.ak.us/basis21.htm".

If you would like to be involved with this and other legislation, or need assistance with an issue, I can be reached by phone, (800) 342-2199 or (907) 465-2199; by mail, State Capitol Building, Room 104, Juneau, AK 99801; or via the Internet, Representative_Fred_Dyson@legis.state.ak.us. You can also send us information via the Public Opinion Messages (POMs) by calling the Legislative Information Office at 269-0111 (TTY 269-0260).