Students in District 69 will have the opportunity to participate in an adolescent health survey in 2013, which was approved Tuesday by trustees at the District 69 Board of Education meeting.
The survey is a questionnaire offered province-wide and conducted by the The McCreary Centre Society, a non-government not-for-profit society based in East Hastings in Vancouver. The society is committed to improving the health of B.C. youth through research, education and community based projects.
The questionnaire will be anonymous, and gather information regarding health issues like smoking, eating habits, drug and alcohol use and teen pregnancy. Director of instruction Gillian Wilson said the surveys happen every five years and the school district participated in the last one in 2008. The district will receive a copy of the information gathered specifically at District 69 schools, which is helpful, she said.
"It tells us where our health concerns are and where we need to be focusing some support for our students."
Parent information and consent will be made available prior to the survey, Wilson said.