Tried To Tell You - CheckYourself Survey is Not Good for Seattle Schools - Part 2

I hope everyone read Part 1 because it gives you the outline of this story. Part Two will be even MORE information and why you should fight for your kids.

Issues to Ponder:

- It feels a bit like finger pointing among these governmental entities "that's THEIR job, not ours" but, in the end, who is accountable for this data?

- There were several comments at the Times like this one:

I have no idea how to take this article, the survey potentially saved lives, but someone felt the need to push hard to test how private the data ended up being. Did that person want the data to use, or just to make a point about privacy?

What is an acceptable cost to saving a life? Can we ever ensure privacy in a public school setting anymore? Kids give up their privacy every single time they open their phone.

So have students that were "identified" been harmed? Is that the concern?

Again, this allows for a level of communication that can potentially circumvent a tragedy, how does that weigh against the 'potential' for another?

Is there a law that needs to change? Can all schools afford a different mental health contractor to run a similar survey?

 

- The answer to the first question about why someone asked for the data is that it was the Seattle Times who first asked based on a tip. We do hope our media outlets follow-up on stories that involve the safety of children. 

 

The individual who did the public records requested asked for student files that (a) had already been released and sent to the Times the year prior (specifically asked for what was released to the Seattle Times) and (b) specificed the request was only for "de-identified" records (used that specific terms to make sure no identifiable information was being requested.) 

 

= That "acceptable cost to saving a life" is a great question. Our country seems to think that deaths by gun violence every year against children is acceptable. Hard to say but taking away others' privacy rights is a slippery slope.

- Can we insure privacy at schools? Somewhat because there are laws around student privacy like FERPA. (And fyi, HIPAA doesn't cover this survey because it is done at school by school employees so it falls under FERPA.) 

- And, if you are loosey-goosey on data that will work out well for predators and so are you creating more access problems?

As for the level of communication issue, look, pediatricians have had these tools for decades. It's a series of about 8 questions, not 50. There really isn't a good reason for a deep dive. If teachers (or parents) suspect issues, tell the counselors to give the pediatrician test and then follow-up. 

Check Yourself is just too much and I'm not sure anyone can tell you exact who has access to all that data. 

 

 

So the people who read and red-flag these surveys are not trained mental health professionals? Or they attended one training session? 

 

Will all the concern over suicidal students, this is really going to help? 

 

 

Then there's the issue about how the taking of the survey comes about. I will ask again but every district should have a clear explanation of what the survey is and that it is opt-in which means it needs a parent's signature to take it. 

 

 

There were some students in the article who DID feel taking the survey was helpful. But other students had other thoughts. Before you read them, drift back to your middle school and high school days in classrooms and see if any of these thoughts ring true: