Best Practices to Increase Active Guardian Consent Participation
Include Form with Enrollment
Active consent from guardians is required for students to participate in the Kansas Communities That Care (KCTC) Student Survey. The number one way to increase participation is to include the Guardian Consent Letter and the Guardian Informed Consent in your school enrollment packets for incoming 6th, 8th, 10th & 12th-grade students.
If your school enrollment falls outside the four-month window before your district’s selected survey administration date(s), you will need to collect consent again within four months of survey administration. Guardian consent for the KCTC Student Survey must be collected separately from other surveys. Schools should post this weblink to the school website for guardians to view a copy of KCTC Student Survey questions and share which optional modules the district will elect to participate in.
The goal is to get a response (either “yes” or “no”) from every guardian. The biggest obstacle you will face is that guardians will simply not return any response at all, and you will not be able to survey their student. A relatively small number of guardian(s) will choose not to allow their student to participate. This is their choice. If a guardian declines consent for their student to participate, this should not be viewed as problematic. The goal is to get a response.
Options Outside of Enrollment
If the consent form was not included in the enrollment packet and/or is outside of the four-month window for collection of consent, consider these other methods to send the Guardian Consent Letter and the Guardian Informed Consent to guardians. These alternative methods are options, but are not preferred for maximizing participation:
- Include the forms on your school’s website or online learning management system guardian portal where they can be easily accessed.
- Send text/voice mail alerts reminding guardians of the importance of the survey and the need to submit signed consent forms.
- Mail/email the forms a few weeks before your survey date.
- Send the forms home with students.
Recruitment Tools
- Information Card for Guardians
- Follow us on Facebook and share our social posts with guardians
More info
- See theGuardian Consent Requirements page for theGuardian Consent Letter and theGuardian Informed Consent in English and Spanish and theGuardian Consent Tracking Form to monitor responses as they come in.
- If you have questions about the survey, contact the KCTC Team at Greenbush at [email protected], or call 620-724-6281 ext. 366.
Revised May 2023
SEKESC IRB STUDY#2023-06