Dear Parent or Guardian:
This fall our students will take the Healthy Kids Colorado Survey (HKCS), an important survey about student health. The survey asks students about health topics including unintentional injuries and violence; mental health; school safety; substance use; physical activity and nutrition; sexual behavior (for high school only); and risk and protective factors.
Your child is in a class that has been chosen to take this anonymous survey. Students do not have to take the survey. The survey takes no longer than 45 minutes. The survey process protects your student’s privacy, and no information is collected that can identify an individual student. Only your child will know how they answer. Students do not get school credit for taking the survey, and there is no penalty for not taking the survey.
The survey results will help your school, county community groups, and state health agencies to plan programs and services for youth. This survey was created in part by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Colorado Departments of Public Health & Environment, Human Services, Public Safety, and Education. These groups provide funding to the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus to conduct the Healthy Kids Colorado Survey in schools every other year. This project has been approved by your school district and the Colorado Multiple Institutional Review Board (COMIRB).
Students receive the survey during class time and are instructed to answer the questions or skip any question they don’t understand or don’t feel comfortable answering. Students who are not completing the survey do other schoolwork during the survey time. We encourage you to discuss the survey with your child and share your views on their choice to participate. An opt out form for families who choose not to participate has been emailed to parent/guardians. Please request this form if needed ([email protected]) and return it signed to the school's front office so that we may make accommodations for students not participating.
For more information about the study, please visit the following website at http://www.healthykidscolo.org or call the Healthy Kids Colorado Survey Director, Dr. Ashley Brooks-Russell, at 303-724-8437. For questions regarding IRB approval, please contact COMIRB at 303-724-1055.
To view a copy of your school district’s survey, please visit:
- Middle school survey: https://bit.ly/HKCS-MSEnglish
- High school survey: https://bit.ly/HKCS-HSEnglish