Appendix H-4 State Letter of Invitation for SHPPS 2014

RECRUITMENT LETTER TO STATES

[NAME]

[ADDRESS]

[ADDRESS]

[ADDRESS]

[DATE]

Dear [STATE CONTACT]:

I am writing to inform you that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will be conducting the School Health Policies and Practices Study (SHPPS) during the 2013-2014 school year. The purpose of this letter is to request your assistance and support for the participation of the [# OF SCHOOLS] schools in your state named on the enclosed list.

SHPPS is the largest, most comprehensive assessment of school health programs and practices and has been conducted since 1994. SHPPS helps us to understand how schools contribute to the health and well-being of our Nation’s young people and the communities they serve. The underlying assumptions behind SHPPS are that healthy students learn better and that a healthful school environment is more conducive to learning. SHPPS is conducted under the authority of the Public Health Service Act (42 USC 241). A national sample of approximately 800 schools has been randomly selected to participate in the study.

The SHPPS study will assess the characteristics of eight components of school health programs at the elementary, middle, and high school levels:

• Health education

• Physical education and activity

• Health services

• Mental health and social services

• Healthy and safe school environment

• Nutrition services

• Faculty and staff health promotion

• Family and community involvement

SHPPS does not involve a student survey.

Data collection will begin in Spring 2014. School staff will be interviewed in person during a convenient time at their school campus. Data from a nationally representative sample of schools will be collected between February and May 2014. Study procedures are designed to allow for anonymous participation; states, districts, schools, and staff will not be identified in any published reports.

Enclosed is an informational packet about the study, which contains a list of selected schools in your state, questionnaire content outlines, and a study fact sheet. Results from SHPPS will be available by the fall of 2015 and will be available on the CDC’s web site. SHPPS data will be used to help improve school health policies and programs nationwide and to support the school health and HIV education programs CDC has supported since 1988.

Within a few days, a representative from ICF International will contact you to discuss any questions that you have and your willingness to provide a letter of support that can be used when we invite selected schools to participate in the study. If you have any immediate questions please contact Alice Roberts at ICF International, toll-free at 800-287-1815. You also may contact Dr. Nancy Brener of the CDC at 770-488-6184. For additional information about SHPPS, please visit the study web site: http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/shpps/.

Sincerely yours,

Howell Wechsler, Ed. D., M.P.H.

Director

Division of Adolescent and School Health

National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

Enclosures

cc: [STATE CDC/DASH CONTACT NAME, ORGANIZATION]

[STATE CC 1 NAME, ORGANIZATION]

[STATE CC 2 NAME, ORGANIZATION]

Nancy Brener, CDC/DASH

Alice Roberts, ICF International