North Davis Communities That Care

BY VIVIANA FELIX

North Davis Communities That Care works collaboratively across our five cities (Clearfield, Clinton, Sunset, Syracuse, and West Point) to reduce risk factors and strengthen protective factors for our youth. Our coalition has access to data on how to build a strong and healthy community in part because of the Student Health and Risk Prevention (SHARP) survey. The Utah SHARP committee includes members from the Utah Department of Health and Human Services, the State Board of Education, and other stakeholders and consumers.

The SHARP survey is a student questionnaire that is needed for the state to receive federal funding, and it helps demonstrate that the funds are being used effectively. The survey has been conducted since 2003 and is 100% voluntary at all levels. School districts have to opt-in to participate, parents fill out a form authorizing permission before the student sees the survey, and students with parent permission are informed that they can opt-out of the survey or skip questions they do not wish to answer. Parents are given opportunities to see the survey before completing the consent form online at their child’s school or via email/fax/mail. The survey is given to grades 6-12, takes approximately 45 minutes to complete online and is offered in odd years in the Spring months. Utah State and FERPA laws are carefully followed throughout the administration of the survey to ensure privacy and confidentiality protocols and maintain anonymous participation at 100%.

We encourage parents to give their consent and to talk to their children about participating in the survey. The SHARP survey provides North Davis CTC with the data we need for prevention planning, funding our programs and strategies, and reporting to our stakeholders.