Summit County prepares March SHARP student survey; county will use results to target prevention services

Pamela provided the board with a status update on the SHARP youth survey, which the Department of Substance Abuse and Mental Health funds and which is administered by a contracted vendor working with school districts.

She said Park City School District plans to distribute parental consent forms in February and to schedule students to take the survey in March; each school will pick a single date and time for administration so the class present at that time completes the survey. Pamela said the county receives Summit County–level data while districts retain control over school‑level results.

Pamela told the board the county uses the survey results to decide services and programming: the data inform prevention classes (for underage drinking, opioids, bullying prevention) and grant applications. “This is everything I use for every single dollar I get,” Pamela said, describing how the county relies on the survey to justify funding and tailor services.

Board members raised concerns about stigma and parental engagement after overdose events and asked whether the outreach targets families; Pamela said although the instrument asks students about their experiences, the county also uses the findings to develop family‑focused messaging and parenting classes.

On public transparency, Pamela said Summit County posts county‑level results and that many districts put school or grade‑level reports on their websites. She committed to presenting results to the county council and to community forums if the data are sufficient and useful for public discussion.

Pamela said the county is also preparing campaign materials — a video, radio outreach and a landing page on the health‑department site — to support consent and participation. The board asked about data access and what forms of aggregate or disaggregated data the county and external groups (for example, the Park City Community Foundation or Mental Wellness Alliance) can request; Pamela reiterated that the county shares Summit County data and individual districts control their school‑level files.

The board agreed to continue the item next month for a further update on the campaign and to review participation numbers after the March administration.