A positive school climate helps people feel socially, emotionally and physically safe in schools. To ensure the district is aligning its priorities, staff and resources to meet the needs of our school community, the Bethlehem Central School District will be conducting its School Climate Survey for students, staff and parents in January 2022.

• For students, the online survey will be administered to grades 5-12 during the week of January 10-14 as part of the school day.
• Parents can expect to receive a link to the survey by email on Monday, January 10. The email will come with the subject line “BCSD Parent Survey.” This year’s School Climate Survey will be administered by Educational Vistas, Inc. The email will be sent through Aspen. Parents will have until January 21 to complete the survey. 
• Staff will receive a link to the survey and instructions through their district email accounts. Like parents, staff will have until January 21 to complete the survey.

The School Climate Survey is voluntary and anonymous. It was created by the U.S. Department of Education in 2016 as part of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The data being collected is for district use only and is not shared with state or federal agencies. Only aggregate information, not individual answers, will be shared with staff and used to inform efforts to improve the school climate. Data from the School Climate Survey is used to measure school climate perceptions within our schools on topics such as safety, teaching and learning, relationships, and the environment. The data collected helps building and district leaders identify areas of success and determine where improvements could be made or where more resources are needed. 

The 2021-22 School Climate survey is very similar to school climate surveys used in 2018-19 and 2019-20, prior to the start of the pandemic. At that time, the district used the 2018-19 data as a baseline to identify trends and areas of need. The 2019-20 survey provided important second-year data however, last year, while students in grades 7-12 were in a hybrid learning model, the district used a scaled-down Wellness Survey (and surveyed only students) that was better tailored to the student experience in a highly restrictive environment. The results of the 2020-21 Student Wellness Survey can be viewed here. Returning to the more comprehensive School Climate Survey will help guide decision-making at both the district and building levels as our schools look ahead.

The parent survey is expected to take approximately 8-10 minutes to complete. The student survey is expected to take approximately 15-20 minutes to complete and the staff survey will take approximately 10-13 minutes. Included in the survey are four demographic questions, including grade, gender, race, and ethnicity. Demographic data helps the district better understand the results and allows us to look more closely at perceptions of school climate from different students’ perspectives. These data will be examined along with the student results to assess school climate within the district.

If you have questions about the upcoming School Climate Survey or would like to view a copy of the 2021-22 student survey, please contact your child’s principal.

Parents should watch for the link to the BCSD Parent Survey in their email on January 10 and staff will receive the link to the survey in their school account on Jan. 10.

Thank you in advance for your participation!