School District of Lancaster students and families told pollsters that the district’s communications continue to improve modestly, but they are increasingly concerned about school safety.
That’s according to annual surveys conducted by the Center for Opinion Research at Franklin & Marshall College at the end of last school year. The center has been conducting surveys for the district since 2006.
More than 84% of family members said they had a “great deal” or “fair amount” of confidence in the district. A third of respondents gave the quality of education an “A.”
About three in four parents or guardians (73%) said the district communicates “excellent” or “good” with the local community, up from less than 60% in 2007. More than a third (37%) said the district does an “excellent” job of keeping families informed about things that matter to them.
Both parents and students identify safety as a significant concern, with a decline in the students indicating they “really agree” or “kind of agree” with the statement “I feel safe at school.” The percentage of parents who say they “really agree” with the statement “I believe my child is safe at school” dropped as well, though it remains at 53%. Less than 15% of families said they disagree that their child is safe at school.
The percentage of students who report experiencing discrimination rose, though more than half of all high school students (52%) say they are never treated unfairly due to race or ethnicity in school. The long-term trend in cyberbullying continues to increase among middle and high school students as well.
The surveys showed a sharp uptick in the district’s family engagement score, a composite of questions to gauge overall engagement.
The Office of Data Analytics published a new dashboard that enables users to view all student and family survey results for as many years as each question has been asked. Click below to access these dashboards through the district’s survey web page.