Great Bend Post

GREAT BEND -The Kansas Communities that Care Survey is given each year to 6th, 8th, 10th, and 12th grade students throughout the state.

The survey has been a valuable source of information on factors that determine student success in schools. There was no state data to compare Great Bend to but there was data from the rest of Barton County.

USD 428 Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum John Popp says the district found out that less than 80 percent of their students speak English as their primary language at home.

“We actually have more and more of our families speaking something other than English as their primary language at home,” said Popp. “It’s not something to worry about but something to note because those kids come to school with extra challenges,” he said.

78 percent of the students in the four classes took the survey, but Popp and Superintendent Brad Reed said the most recent data was not as valuable since there was no state data.

The survey also shows nearly 80 percent of the Great Bend students surveyed mentioned they had not consumed beer, wine, or hard liquor in the past 30 days. The survey is optional and students need to have a parent’s signature to participate.