LEWISTON — Parents of Lewiston-Auburn students are being asked to take 20 minutes to answer questions in a survey about their child’s school, their community, drug use and more.

What parents have to say will give better insights on whether programs need to be altered to be the most effective, said Safe Schools/Healthy Students Director Rosemary Kooy.

“We’re conducting the parent survey because we often ask students to self-report on violence, substance abuse, school climate and feelings of belonging, but rarely are the parents asked similar questions,” Kooy said Monday. “We value parent feedback and suggestions.”

This is the first time a parent survey of this magnitude has been done in Lewiston and Auburn, she said.

Lewiston-Auburn’s Safe Schools/Healthy Students, an initiative funded by the U.S. Department of Education, is working with a variety of local programs tying resources together to make students safer and healthier. Those sources range from educators to police to hospitals and mental health counselors.

By gaining perspective from parents in the survey, parents answers will be compared to student answers to see if there are similar trends or gaps, Kooy said.

One example could be school environment, harassment and fighting. Parents’ answers will be compared to student and staff answers. Depending on what information is gathered, it could reveal problems not being addressed, Kooy said.

The survey also will ask questions about substance abuse and what kind of support services exist.

“We’re interested to know if parents know what kind of support services are available in school as well as the community,” she said.

Educators suspect parents aren’t aware of the wide variety of help, or they may be reluctant to access those programs. If parents are not aware the programs exist, work will be done on getting the word out, Kooy said.

Parents will also be asked their connection with the child’s school in the last two years, such as attending parent-teacher conferences or school events, and what is the best way they want to receive information from and about their child’s school.

The survey is confidential and is available online through the school districts’ websites, where a link titled, “Parent Survey: Safe Schools/Healthy Students” will take parents directly to the survey. Lewiston parents should go to www.lewiston.k12.me.us. Auburn parents should go to www.auburnschl.edu.

Parents who don’t have access to a computer can take the survey at the Lewiston or Auburn public libraries.

Those who don’t feel comfortable taking the survey on a computer can take it on paper. They are asked to call Kooy at 795-4100.

The survey has been translated to Somali, and an audio version of the survey is available online in both Somali and English for those who prefer to have the survey read to them.

The survey is confidential. No names, addresses or other identifying information will be asked, according to Nan Simpson, the local evaluator from Oldham Innovative Research.

Parents are asked to take the survey anytime between now through the end of December.

To take the survey:

Lewiston parents: www.lewiston.k12.me.us

Auburn parents: www.auburnschl.edu