[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 177 (Friday, September 12, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54723-54725]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-21754]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[30Day-14-14AHH]


Agency Forms Undergoing Paperwork Reduction Act Review

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has submitted 
the following information collection request to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with 
the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The notice for the proposed 
information collection is published to obtain comments from the public 
and affected agencies.
    Written comments and suggestions from the public and affected 
agencies concerning the proposed collection of information are 
encouraged. Your comments should address any of the following: (a) 
Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is necessary 
for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including 
whether the information will have practical utility; (b) Evaluate the 
accuracy of the agencies estimate of the burden of the proposed 
collection of information, including the validity of the methodology 
and assumptions used; (c) Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of 
the information to be collected; (d) Minimize the burden of the 
collection of information on those who are to respond, including 
through the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or 
other technological collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses; and 
(e) Assess information collection costs.
    To request additional information on the proposed project or to 
obtain a copy of the information collection plan and instruments, call 
(404) 639-7570 or send an email to [email protected]. Written comments and/or 
suggestions regarding the items contained in this notice should be 
directed to the Attention: CDC Desk Officer, Office of Management and 
Budget, Washington, DC 20503 or by fax to (202) 395-5806. Written 
comments should be received within 30 days of this notice.

Proposed Project

    Assessing Education Agency Staff Perceptions of School Climate and 
Youth Access to Services--New--Division of Adolescent and School Health 
(DASH), National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB 
Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Background and Brief Description

    HIV infections remain high among young men who have sex with men 
(YMSM). The estimated number of new HIV infections increased between 
2008 and 2010 both overall and among men who have sex with men (MSM) 
ages 13 to 24. Furthermore, sexual risk behaviors associated with HIV, 
other sexually transmitted disease (STD), and pregnancy often emerge in 
adolescence. For example, 2011 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System 
(YRBSS) data revealed 47.4% of U.S. high school students reported 
having had sex, and

[[Page 54724]]

among those who had sex in the previous three months, 39.8% reported 
having not used a condom during last sexual intercourse. In addition, 
2001-2009 YRBSS data revealed high school students identifying as gay, 
lesbian, and bisexual and those reporting sexual contact with both 
males and females were more likely to engage in sexual risk-taking 
behaviors than heterosexual students.
    Given the disproportionate risk for HIV among YMSM ages 13-24, it 
is important to find ways to reach the younger youth (i.e., ages 13-19) 
in this range to decrease sexual risk behaviors and increase health-
promoting behaviors such as routine HIV testing. Schools provide one 
opportunity for this. Because schools enroll more than 22 million teens 
(ages 14-19) and often have existing health and social services 
infrastructure, schools and their staff members are well-positioned to 
connect youth to a wide range of needed services, including housing 
assistance, support groups, and sexual health services such as HIV 
testing. As a result, CDC's DASH has focused a number of HIV and STD 
prevention efforts on strategies that can be implemented in or centered 
around schools.
    However, conducting HIV and STD prevention work (particularly work 
that is designed to specifically meet the needs of YMSM), can be 
challenging. School is not always a welcoming environment for lesbian, 
gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth. Harassment, 
bullying, and verbal and physical assault are often reported, and such 
unsupportive environments and victimization among LGBT youth are 
associated with a variety of negative outcomes, including truancy, 
substance use, poor mental health, HIV and STD risk, and even suicide.
    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) requests a 3-
year OMB approval to conduct a new information collection entitled, 
``Assessing Education Agency Staff Perceptions of School Climate and 
Youth Access to Services.'' The information collection uses two 
separate, but complementary, information collections to conduct 
assessment of HIV and STD prevention efforts that are taking place in 
three local education agencies (LEA) funded by the CDC's Division of 
Adolescent and School Health (DASH) under strategy 4 (School-Centered 
HIV/STD Prevention for Young Men Who Have Sex with Men (YMSM) of PS13-
1308: Promoting Adolescent Health through School-Based HIV/STD 
Prevention and School-Based Surveillance.
    This data collection will provide data and reports for the funded 
LEAs, and will allow the LEAs to identify areas of the program that are 
working well and other areas that will need additional improvement. In 
addition, the findings will allow CDC to determine the potential impact 
of currently recommended strategies and make changes to those 
recommendations if necessary.
    The first information collection will involve collecting 
information from a total of up to 735 LEA employees in three LEAs 
through a Web-based instrument tailored to each LEA. The instrument 
will include items that ask education agency staff about professional 
development, referral practices, community linkages/partners, school 
climate for LGBTQ youth, school policies and practices, and staff 
comfort levels in helping address the health needs of YMSM.
    The second information collection will be conducted in only one LEA 
(Broward County Public Schools) and is designed to provide an in-depth 
assessment of one LEA as a way to supplement the Web-based data 
collection with more detailed information. This information collection 
will involve in-person interviews with up to 44 LEA employees (2 
district level employees, and up to 6 school level employees in each of 
7 schools) to learn about six domains that can impact school climate: 
Policy, practice, programs, professional development, place, and 
pedagogy.
    Both the Web-based instrument and in-person interviews will be 
administered in 2014 and 2016. These data collection points coincide 
with the initiation of project activities and the mid-way points of the 
PS13-1308 cooperative agreement. Although some staff may participate in 
the data collection in multiple years, this is not a longitudinal 
design and individual staff member responses will not be tracked across 
the years. No personally identifiable information will be collected.
    All school staff members will receive informed consent forms prior 
to participation in the information collection. The consent form 
explains the study and also explains participants may choose not to 
complete the Web-based instrument or participate in the interviews with 
no penalty and no impact on their job or relationship with the LEA. 
Participation is completely voluntary.
    For the Web-based instrument, the estimated burden per response 
ranges from 20-25 minutes. This variation in burden is due to the 
slight variability in skip patterns that may occur with certain 
responses and variations in the reading speed of respondents. The 
burden estimates presented here are based on the assumption of a 25-
minute response time per response. The estimated annualized burden of 
this data collection is 204 hours for respondents. There are no costs 
to respondents other than their time.
    For the Web-based instrument, the estimated burden per response 
ranges from 60-90 minutes, depending on whether the respondent is a 
district-level administrator, a school-level administrator, or another 
school staff member. The burden estimates presented here are based on 
the assumption of a 1-hour response time per district-level and school-
level administrator response and a 1.5-hour response time per school 
staff member response. The estimated annualized burden of this data 
collection is 39 hours for respondents. There are no costs to 
respondents other than their time.
    The two information collections combine for a total estimated 
annualized burden of 243 hours for respondents. There are no costs to 
respondents other than their time.

                                   Estimated Annualized Burden to Respondents
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                     Number of    Average burden
              Respondents                       Form name            Number of     responses per   per response
                                                                    respondents     respondent      (in hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
School staff..........................  Web-based instrument for             163               1           25/60
                                         Broward County Public
                                         Schools.
School staff..........................  Web-based instrument for             163               1           25/60
                                         Los Angeles Unified
                                         School District.

[[Page 54725]]

 
School staff..........................  Web-based instrument for             163               1           25/60
                                         San Francisco Unified
                                         School District.
District-level Administrators.........  School Climate Index                   1               1               1
                                         Interview Guide for
                                         District-level
                                         Administrators.
School-level Administrators...........  School Climate Index                   9               1               1
                                         Interview Guide for
                                         School-level
                                         Administrators.
School Staff..........................  School Climate Index                  19               1             1.5
                                         Interview Guide for
                                         School Staff.
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Leroy A. Richardson,
Chief, Information Collection Review Office, Office of Scientific 
Integrity, Office of the Associate Director for Science, Office of the 
Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2014-21754 Filed 9-11-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P