JOHN O. AGWUNOBI, M.D., M.B.A., M.P.H.
SECRETARY
INTERAGENCY MEMORANDUM
DATE:
March 4, 2005
TO:
County Health Department Directors/Administrators in Selected Counties
F D
E
JOHN
LORIDA
EPARTMENT OF
DUCATION
L. WINN
Commissioner of Education
District School Superintendents in Selected Districts
FROM:
?
John O. Agwunobi, M.D., M.B.A., M.P.H.
Secretary, Department of Health
John L. Winn, Commissioner, Florida Department of Education
SUBJECT:
2005 Florida Youth Survey (FYS)
?
ACTION
?
REQUIRED:
Designate Staff and Plan for Survey
Effective Immediately
?
The Florida Department of Health, in collaboration with the Florida Departments of Education,
Children and Families, and Juvenile Justice, and the Governor’s Office of Drug Control, is
preparing to conduct the sixth edition of the highly successful Florida Youth Survey (FYS). This
effort addresses the Florida Department of Education's goal of
Highest Student Achievement
as
one of the top priorities for K-12 schools. Each agency recognizes that students learn best in a
school environment that is safe, healthy, and drug free. In order to support this goal, we request
your participation in the 2005 survey.
The specific date for conducting the survey will be determined at the local level, but must occur
during the
five-week survey period beginning March 14, 2005, and ending on April 18, 2005
.
There will be four survey instruments fielded to samples of students in grades 6-12. They are the
Florida Youth Tobacco Survey
(FYTS), the
Florida Youth Substance Abuse Survey
(FYSAS), the
Youth Risk Behavior Survey
(YRBS), and the
Youth Physical Activity and Nutrition Survey
(YPANS). It is very important to national, state, and local program planning and evaluation that
your schools and students who are selected participate in this important survey.
The
Florida Youth Tobacco Survey
is used to evaluate the impact of Florida’s innovative program
to prevent and reduce youth tobacco use. The
Florida Youth Substance Abuse Survey
provides
important information on alcohol and other drug use, attitudes, and behaviors; risk and protective
factors; and the community context that influences these variables. The
Survey
will only be administered to high school students (grades 9-12). This survey was designed
by the Centers for Disease Control to monitor priority health-risk behaviors in six categories:
unintentional injuries and violence, tobacco use, alcohol and other drug use, sexual behavior,
dietary behavior, and physical inactivity. The
Youth Physical Activity and Nutrition Survey
will only
be administered to middle school students (grades 6-8). This survey was designed to collect data
on youth knowledge and attitudes about physical activity and nutrition and to explore student
physical activity and nutrition practices.
Department of Education
Department of Health
325 West Gaines Street
4052 Bald Cypress Way
Tallahassee, Florida 32399
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1700
2005 Florida Youth Survey (FYS)
?
March 4, 2005
?
Page Two
?
Each of the survey instruments is either similar or identical to the surveys administered in the past.
?
Copies of the instruments have been provided at the February 2005 training to district survey
?
coordinators and should be made available for parents to review in advance at the schools
?
selected.
?
It is very important that school district and county health department personnel cooperate and
?
collaborate to encourage maximum participation by the 159 schools selected to participate
?
throughout the state. Actual administration of the survey to individual schools and classes will be
?
arranged at the local level. In each school selected, a small number of classes will be chosen to
?
participate. Within selected classrooms, students will randomly receive only one of the survey
?
instruments, but all instruments will have the same cover. Each student will complete only one
?
survey. The survey will take no more than one class period to complete. Anonymity will be
?
protected and students do not have to respond to any questions they are not comfortable
?
answering.
?
School districts should be sure to have in place a policy on student privacy required by changes to
?
the
General Educational Provisions
of the
No Child Left Behind Act
(Section 1061, Title X, Part F of
?
P.L. 107-110). For questions about this policy, contact Judy Bishop, Program Specialist at the
Department of Education, at (850) 245-0416 or SunCom 205-0416.
We look forward to working with and assisting you in implementing the 2005 Florida Youth Survey.
If you have any questions about the survey process, please contact Melissa Murray, Youth Survey
Coordinator at the Department of Health, at (850) 245-4444, extension 2445, or SunCom 205-
4444, extension 2445, or by e-mail at: melissa_murray@doh.state.fl.us.
JOA/JLW/mrm
Attachments
cc:
?
County Health Departments: School Health Coordinators
School District Contacts: Safe and Drug-Free Schools Coordinators
School District Contacts: Coordinated School Health Coordinators
School District Contacts: Directors of Student Service
