The Colorado State Board of Education is considering changes to the state’s Healthy Kids Colorado survey. (Thinkstock)
Re: “Healthy Kids survey becomes parental rights battleground,” March 12 news story.
As a middle-school parent involved in public health research and school wellness, I am appalled that the legislature is considering requiring parents’ advance permission for student participation in the Healthy Kids Colorado Survey. The survey provides invaluable data and insight about students’ physical and emotional health and demonstrates the need for programs to address serious concerns such as adolescent obesity and depression. The strength of the data relies on the number of students surveyed, and active consent would likely lead to a significant drop in respondents. Parents are busy, and even those in favor of the survey may not find the time to sign the consent.
Currently, parents do have a choice about whether their student completes the survey or not. Letap leave it this way and continue to provide a vital data source that supports targeted prevention and intervention programs for the health of our kids.
Melissa McClung,Denver
This letter was published in the March 18 edition.
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