Our district is taking part in the 2025 Pennsylvania Youth Survey (PAYS) and the 2025 Pennsylvania Youth Survey Junior (PAYS Jr.) sponsored by the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, the Pennsylvania Department of Education, and the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs.
The PAYS will ask questions about the behaviors of students in the 6th, 8th, 10th, and 12th grades. This will include questions about school climate, mental health, violence, bullying, and substance use.
The PAYS Jr. has been specially designed for 4th graders in terms of survey length, content, and question wording. The survey will ask questions about the behaviors and perceptions of students in the 4th grade on topics such as school climate, bullying, and mental health. The survey will take about 25-30 minutes to complete.
The information we receive will assist us and our community partners in working to promote mental health and prevent substance use and other problem behaviors. We want to ensure that all parents and caregivers are notified the survey is being conducted, as well as provide you with as much information about the survey as possible. As a caregiver, you have the right to prohibit your child’s participation. The following facts about the survey will help you make an informed decision:
- Participation in this survey is completely voluntary. Students will be instructed by their proctor that they can skip any questions they do not understand or choose not to answer. If they have any questions or concerns after taking this survey, they are instructed to talk with their school counselor or a trusted adult.
- The survey is designed to protect each student’s privacy; it is anonymous and confidential. Students will not put their names on the survey, and no student will ever have their individual responses reported.
- The PAYS is well tested, having been administered to over 2 million Pennsylvania students since the 1990s.
- The information collected from the PAYS and PAYS Jr. is invaluable to prevention planners in selecting programming to promote healthy youth development.
- PAYS Jr. includes a read-aloud audio feature to support student comprehension.
You can request a list of the survey questions by visiting this link: https://epis.psu.edu/PAYS/question. For more information about the survey, including a list of Frequently Asked Questions, please visit www.pays.pa.gov.
Our district will administer the survey between October 14-23, 2025. Each school will select one day to participate; the PAYS will take one class period to complete, and the PAYS Jr. will take approximately 25-30 minutes. If you do not want your child to participate, please submit your request at this LINK by 5 p.m. on Friday, October 10, 2025.
Thank you – together we can keep our schools healthy and safe for learning. If you have any questions, please contact the principal at your child’s school.