The Mechanicsburg Area School District will be participating in the Pennsylvania Youth Survey (PAYS) during the 2023-2024 school year.  The Pennsylvania Youth Survey (PAYS) is a biannual survey sponsored by the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, the Pennsylvania Department of Education, and the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs. The survey, which will be delivered in end of October to mid-November will ask questions about the behaviors of students in the 6^th, 8^th, 10^th, and 12^th grades, including questions about school climate, violence, depression, bullying, and substance abuse. The information we receive will assist us and our community partners in working to prevent adolescent drug use and other challenging behaviors. We want to ensure that all parents and caregivers are notified that the survey is being conducted. 

 

 

 

The Pennsylvania Youth Survey (PAYS) is a survey conducted of school students in the 6th, 8th, 10th and 12th grades to learn about their behavior, attitudes and knowledge concerning alcohol, tobacco, other drugs and violence. The PAYS is sponsored and conducted every two years by the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency.

The data gathered in PAYS serve two primary needs. First, the results provide school administrators, state agency directors, legislators and others with critical information concerning the changes in patterns of the use and abuse of these harmful substances and behaviors. Second, the survey assesses risk factors that are related to these behaviors and the protective factors that help guard against them. This information allows community leaders to direct prevention resources to areas where they are likely to have the greatest impact.

 

• Surveys are anonymous and confidential—no individual student information can be obtained from the data set.

• For more information, visit www.pays.pa.gov.