Change Memo

U NITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

National Center for Education Statistics

February 3, 2022

MEMORANDUM

To: Bob Sivinski, OMB

From: Rachel Hansen, NCES

Through: Carrie Clarady, NCES

Re: School Pulse Panel March 2022 Questionnaire Change Request (OMB# 1850-0963 v. 9)

The School Pulse Panel (SPP) monthly data collection was originally cleared under emergency review under 5 CFR 1320.13(a) (OMB #1850-0963 v1) in June 2021. After a difficult start, a revised package (also cleared under emergency review) was cleared in September 2021 (OMB #1850-0963 v5). NCES requested emergency clearance for those packages to allow us to comply with the January 21, 2021 EO 14000 Executive Order on Supporting the Reopening and Continuing Operation of Schools and Early Childhood Education Providers. Normal clearance procedures would not allow IES to comply with the intent of this EO. In October 2021, the SPP was suspended for the months of October, November, and December due to continued low response rates in September 2021, the first month of the collection (OMB #1850-0963 v6). During that pause, the Institute of Education Sciences redesigned the study to improve response rates.

An additional Emergency Clearance for the collection (OMB# 1850-0963 v.7) was approved by OMB in December 2021. This emergency review under 5 CFR 1320.13(a) was for the SPP to collect voluntary responses throughout the 2022 calendar year from a nationally representative sample of public schools to better understand how schools, students, and educators are responding to the ongoing stressors of the coronavirus pandemic, along with other priority items for the White House, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Department of Education program offices. The SPP study itself is extremely important particularly now that COVID-19 has not waned, and the pulse model is one that the agency will need after the pandemic subsides for other quick-turnaround data needs. In order to extend this research beyond the 6 months allowed for research activities cleared under 5 CFR 1320.13(a), NCES has simultaneously publish a Federal Register Notice soliciting both 60-day and 30-day public comment on this collection concurrent with data collection. Furthermore, we anticipate that new content will be rotated in (and some rotated out) on a monthly basis. Moving forward, we plan to submit requests for new content quarterly to OMB for 30-day public comment.

The purpose of this Change Request is to make modifications to previously approved items and to add new items (within the scope of research domains established and approved in previous packages) to be collected on the March instrument. These modifications and additions reflect school experiences with providing meals and continued responses to the current COVID-19 surge with the omicron variant. Specifically, we incorporated minor edits to the school nutrition items that were provided by the USDA Food and Nutrition Service. Furthermore, items focused on parental concerns have been replicated to capture student and school staff concerns, and additional items have been developed to ask whether parents/students/staff have staged any protests due to their school’s response to COVID-19.

The costs to the government have not changed as a result of this amendment, nor has the projected respondent burden. Planned communication materials and items to be collected in January, February, and March are provided in Appendices A and B, with the changes to Appendix B detailed below.

Changes to Appendices

Modifications and Additions to Appendix B

SchLun_1. As of today, how does your school provide students with breakfast and lunch?

• Students can participate in the USDA School Meal programs (e.g., i.e., the National School Lunch Program and/or School Breakfast Program)

• Students can buy meals at school but not part of the USDA school meal program

• All students must bring meals from home {If selected, no other food items are displayed}

• Don’t Know

(Display if SCHLun_1 ≠ ALL STUDENTS MUST BRING…) SchLun_2. As of today, about what percentage of students in your school participate in the lunch and/or breakfast programs? National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and/or School Breakfast Program (SBP)?

• 0% {If selected, no other food items are displayed}

• 1 – 25%

• 26–50%

• 51–75%

• 76–99%

• 100%

• Don’t Know

SchLun_3. As of today, how does your school operate the school lunch and/or breakfast programs? National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and/or School Breakfast Program (SBP)? Select all that apply.

• Seamless Summer Option (SSO) under the nationwide waiver

• Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) or other special provision

• Traditional school meal program operations – not using the SSO waiver

• Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) – our school is currently operating under an unanticipated school closure

• Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT)

• Partnerships or sponsorships with local food organizations

• District or school financial funding

• Other, please specify: _____

• Don’t Know

SchLun_4. Since the beginning of the 2021-22 school year, As of today, what are the ways that your school has provided meals to students? Select all that apply

• Meals are provided in the school building

• Meals are picked up from school designated locations

• Meals are dropped off using bus routes

• Meals are delivered directly to households

• Meals are prepared and delivered through local partnerships

• Meals are not offered to students

• Other, please specify: _____

• Don’t Know

SchLun_5a. Before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, how did your school operate the National School Lunch Program (NSLP)?

• All students in my school were offered the NSLP free school lunches

• Individual eligible students were offered the NSLP free or reduced-price lunches

• Other, please specify: _____

• Not applicable; school does not operate the NSLP before the pandemic

• Don’t Know

SchLun_5b. Before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, how did your school operate the School Breakfast Program (SBP)?

1. All students in my school were offered the SBP free school breakfasts

2. Individual eligible students were offered the SBP free or reduced-price breakfasts

3. Other, please specify: _____

4. Not applicable; school does not operate the SBP prior to the pandemic

5. Don’t Know

(Display if SchLun_7 or SchLun8 = YES) SchLun_9. What category(s) are you experiencing issues with procuring? Select all that apply.

• Fruit

• Vegetables

• Grains

• Whole Grain Rich Items

• Milk

• Meat/Meat Alternates

• Low sodium foods

• Meal service supplies (e.g., food trays)

• Other, please specify: ________________

• Don’t Know

(Display if SchLun_7 or SchLun8 = YES) SchLun_10. Are the challenges you are experiencing with school meal program food due to any of the following? Select all that apply.

• Shipment delays

• Orders arriving with missing items, reduced quantities, or product substitutions

• Limited product availability

• Food costs

• Labor shortages

• Contract cancelled by vendor

• Limited or no vendors available

• Limited or restricted food delivery days or times

• Vendor surcharges or increased purchasing minimums

• Other, please specify: _____________

• Don’t know

(Rows display based on selections made in ParCon2)

ParCon3. How concerned are parents PARENTS/GUARDIANS with the following for their children for the 2021-22 school year?

	Slightly concerned Not at all concerned	Somewhat concerned A little concerned	Moderately concerned Somewhat concerned	Extremely concerned Very concerned	Don’t know/ Not sure
Meeting academic needs for their children	A	B	C	D	E
Learning options for children who are immunocompromised	A	B	C	D	E
Physical health and safety for their children in classrooms	A	B	C	D	E
Social, emotional, and mental health for their children	A	B	C	D	E
Mitigation and prevention strategies and policies for COVID-19 implemented in school	A	B	C	D	E
Safe participation in extracurricular activities and sports	A	B	C	D	E
Safe lunch, recess, or other activities that involve large number of students	A	B	C	D	E
Safe transportation	A	B	C	D	E

Have PARENTS/GUARDIANS of students at your school staged any protests due to your school’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic?

• Yes

• No

• Don’t know

StuCon1. Approximately what percentage of STUDENTS have expressed concerns attending full-time in-person learning during the 2021-22 school year?

• 0%

• 1 – 25%

• 26–50%

• 51–75%

• 76–99%

• 100%

• Don’t know

StuCon2. Which of the following are STUDENTS concerned about for the 2021-22 school year? Select all that apply.

• Meeting academic standards

• Learning options for the immunocompromised

• Physical health and safety in classrooms

• Social, emotional, and mental health

• Mitigation and prevention strategies and policies for COVID-19 implemented in school

• Safe participation in extracurricular activities and sports

• Safe lunch, recess, or other activities that involve large number of students

• Safe transportation

• Other, please specify: _____

• Don’t know

StuCon3. How concerned are STUDENTS with the following for the 2021-22 school year?

{Rows display based on selections made in StuCon2}	Slightly concerned	Somewhat concerned	Moderately concerned	Extremely concerned
Meeting academic standards	A	B	C	D
Learning options for the immunocompromised	A	B	C	D
Physical health and safety in classrooms	A	B	C	D
Social, emotional, and mental health	A	B	C	D
Mitigation and prevention strategies and policies for COVID-19 implemented in school	A	B	C	D
Safe participation in extracurricular activities and sports	A	B	C	D
Safe lunch, recess, or other activities that involve large number of students	A	B	C	D
Safe transportation	A	B	C	D

Have STUDENTS at your school staged any protests, walk-outs, or strikes due to your school’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic?

• Yes

• No

• Don’t know

StaffCon1. Approximately what percentage of STAFF MEMBERS have expressed concerns working full-time in-person during the 2021-22 school year?

• 0%

• 1 – 25%

• 26–50%

• 51–75%

• 76–99%

• 100%

• Don’t know

StaffCon2. Which of the following are STAFF MEMBERS concerned about for the 2021-22 school year? Select all that apply.

• Getting students to meet academic standards

• Working conditions for the immunocompromised

• Physical health and safety while in classroom or offices

• Social, emotional, and mental health

• Mitigation and prevention strategies and policies for COVID-19 implemented in school

• Safe administration of extracurricular activities and sports

• Safe lunch, recess, or other activities that involve large number of students and/or staff members

• Safe transportation

• Childcare during remote learning

• Providing instruction to students having to quarantine

• Lack of substitute teachers

• Other, please specify: _____

• Don’t know

StaffCon3. How concerned are STAFF MEMBERS with the following for the 2021-22 school year?

{Rows display based on selections made in StaffCon2}	Slightly concerned	Somewhat concerned	Moderately concerned	Extremely concerned
Getting students to meet academic standards	A	B	C	D
Working conditions for the immunocompromised	A	B	C	D
Physical health and safety while in the classroom or offices	A	B	C	D
Social, emotional, and mental health	A	B	C	D
Mitigation and prevention strategies and policies for COVID-19 implemented in school	A	B	C	D
Safe administration of extracurricular activities and sports	A	B	C	D
Safe lunch, recess, or other activities that involve large number of students and/or staff members	A	B	C	D
Safe transportation	A	B	C	D
Childcare during remote learning	A	B	C	D

Have STAFF MEMBERS at your school staged any protests, walk-outs, or strikes due to your school’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic?

• Yes

• No

• Don’t know

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