Records Appraisal Report:
Texas Department of State Health Services,
Community Mental Health and Substance Abuse Division,
Program Services Section
Reports and Studies (Non-Fiscal) and
Statewide Survey of Texas Schools

Contents of this report
Agency Contact | Agency History | Project Review | Record Series Reviews

Internal links to series reviews
Reports and Studies (Non-Fiscal): specifically, Local District-Texas School Survey of Substance Abuse
Statewide Survey of Texas Schools


November 17, 2010, Tony Black, Appraisal Archivist


Agency Contact

This agency contact information was current at the time of the report but may have changed in the interim. Please call (512-463-5455) for current contact information of the agency's records manager or records liaison for these records.

Nancy Edwards
DSHS Records Management Officer and Publications Administrator
Library and Information Services – Mail Code 1975
P.O. Box 149347
1100 West 49th Street, Warehouse Bldg. 115
Austin, TX 78714-9347


Agency History and Structure

(Note: Since the records being appraised in this report were initially created for--or collected by--a predecessor agency, this agency history concentrates on that earlier agency.)

In 1953, the 53rd Texas Legislature passed House Bill 559, which created the Texas Commission on Alcoholism (Texas Revised Civil Statutes, Article 5561c). The Commission was composed of six members, appointed by the Governor to serve six-year terms; one member was required to be a physician, and at least three members must "have had personal experience as excessive users of alcohol." Their duties included carrying on a continuing study of the problems of alcoholism; promoting or conducting educational programs; establishing cooperative relationships with other state and local agencies, and with educational, medical, welfare, and law enforcement groups, both public and private; receiving and administering state and federal funds for alcoholism programs; certifying education programs for DWI offenders; and licensing alcoholism health care facilities.

In 1971 the Governor designated the Texas Commission on Alcoholism as the state agency which would comply with the federal Comprehensive Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Prevention, Treatment, and Rehabilitation Act of 1970 (Public Law 91-616, supplemented in 1974 by Public Law 93-282). This resulted in the first State Plan for Prevention, Treatment and Control of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (1971). To implement the State Plan--subsequently revised several times--the Texas Commission on Alcoholism designated one agency in each of 24 state planning regions as Regional Alcoholism Authorities. Six regional offices coordinate this network of services. Also in response to Public Law 91-616, a 34- to 50-member State Alcoholism Advisory Council was created to serve as voluntary advisors to the Texas Commission on Alcoholism.

In 1985, the agency was renamed the Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, with its scope of concerns appropriately broadened (Senate Bill 601, 69th Legislature, Regular Session). The number of Commissioners was raised to nine, and in addition to their previous duties they assumed the duties of the drug abuse programs of the Texas Department of Community Affairs. In 1991, a compulsive gambling program was added.

In 1995, the commission was placed under a State Conservatorship Board, which was required to report its recommendations to both houses of the Texas Legislature no later than November 1, 1996. (The Texas Government Code, Sections 2104.021-0.25, provides for conservatorship of state agencies when there is a need to "ensure that the agency complies with state fiscal management policies.") The existing Commission was abolished and recreated with six members rather than nine, serving two-year terms rather than six-year terms (six-year staggered terms were later reinstated). At least three of the commissioners appointed by the governor must have experience in business management, financial management, auditing, contract management, or the like. (Senate Bill 1428, 74th Texas Legislature, Regular Session, 1995.)

House Bill 2292 (78th Texas Legislature, Regular Session, 2003) merged twelve state health and human services agencies into five, officially abolishing the Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse (effective September 1, 2004) and creating the new Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). DSHS took over all of the "powers, duties, functions, programs, and activities" of the Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse. In addition it assumed the duties of the Texas Department of Health, the Texas Health Care Information Council, and the mental health and state hospital operations formerly under the Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation.

Beginning in 1988, the Texas School Survey of Substance Abuse was a collaborative effort between the Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse and the Public Policy Resource Laboratory (PPRL) of Texas A&M University. PPRL (now called PPRI, Public Policy Resource Institute) had primary responsibility for designing the sample and collecting the data; TCADA (and later, TDSHS) was primarily responsible for design of the questionnaire and data analysis. The study was funded under the U.S. Department of Education Drug Free Schools and Communities Block Grant.

(Source of this information: existing inventory of records of the Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, and input from TDSHS staff.)


Project Review

In June 2009, the Archives and Information Services Division was contacted by a Texas citizen who was concerned that a series of records in the custody of DSHS, what he referred to as Texas School Survey of Drug and Alcohol Use, 1988-2009, might be lost to future researchers before the series could be appraised for its archival value by archival professionals.

Taking advantage of the fact that this citizen had already arranged by a Public Information Act request to inspect the Local district--Texas school surveys held by the Texas Department of State Health Services, I met DSHS Records Management Officer Nancy Edwards at DSHS offices to also look at those same records, so as not to disrupt DSHS staff nor to incur more costs to the State of Texas than necessary. I was able to sample several boxes, as well as to talk with staff members most familiar with the records, particularly Dr. Liang Liu and Karen Ruggiero.

Our building renovation project, which began in December 2007 and ended May 2010, impeded my progress in this appraisal. But the citizen was very helpful in periodically updating me with links to scans he had made of some of the records, and also in giving me his insight into the value of these records to himself as well as to other researchers.

Since these records are part of two series of records on the TDSHS records retention schedule that are coded for archival review anyway, this specific appraisal would have been required when the records had fulfilled their retention requirements. That time is now, in fact overdue for most of the records. Since the first series was subject to a Public Information Act request, the agency retained them for one year after that request; they would have been due for review in August 2010.

I finished the first draft of this report in August 2010. After it circulated among the other members of the appraisal committee, I received additional information from the Public Policy Resource Institute at Texas A&M University in November 2010, at which time I finalized the report.


Project outcome

The appraisal of these two series of records of the Texas Department of State Health Services is complete. The appraisal committee agrees that both of the sets of records are archival.

The paper copies of the first series held by the Texas Department of State Health Services should be transferred to the Archives and Information Services Division of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission. Since these specific records do not constitute an ongoing series at the Texas Department of State Health Services, that agency can (after transfer) delete the following statement from the Remarks column: "Local District-Texas School Survey in Iron Mountain until 8/1/2010, then transfer to State Archivist."

The electronic copies of the first series held by the Public Policy Resource Institute at Texas A&M University should be added to their records retention schedule with an archival code of “A.” Since they exist only in electronic format, the PPRI must migrate these records every 3 to 5 years into new software/ hardware platforms. When the Texas State Library and Archives Commission establishes an electronic archives program, we will then accept transfer of the records electronically. Additionally/alternately, TDSHS and PPRI could arrange to transfer the reports electronically to TDSHS, who could mount them on TDSHS’s website, where they would be periodically harvested by TRAIL (Texas Records and Information Locator; see http://www.tsl.texas.gov/trail/.) TRAIL does not capture the websites of universities.

For the second series, Statewide Survey of Texas Schools, the Texas Department of State Health Services should change its archival code from “R” (archival review) to “A” (archival), with the Remarks column to state “Archival requirement is fulfilled by sending required copies to the State Publications Depository Program, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.” To fill gaps in existing holdings of the Texas Documents Collection, TDSHS should send us copies of the following reports: 1990, 2000, 2002 onward (for elementary survey), 2004 onwards (for secondary survey).


Record Series Reviews

Records Series Review
Series Title: Reports and Studies (Non-Fiscal): specifically, Local District-Texas School Survey of Substance Abuse

Obsolete record series?
Not really, but not normally maintained by Texas Department of State Health Services. It is created by the Public Policy Resource Institute (PPRI) of Texas A&M University.
Replaced by: None

Ongoing record series?
Not at the Texas Department of State Health Services. It continues as an ongoing series at Texas A&M University. Annual accumulation: 5-6 cubic ft.

Agency holdings: 50 cubic ft. in the agency. Retained by the agency for 3 years. Present holdings of the Texas Department of State Health Services date 1988-1999 and are currently stored by Iron Mountain. Reports from 1996-2009 are stored (in electronic format only) by the Public Policy Resource Institute at Texas A&M University.

Description:
These records consist of almost 3,000 unique local-level Texas School Surveys of Substance Abuse reports (each up to approximately 100 pages thick) for more than 1,000 school districts, dating 1988-2009. Some of the reports are for elementary schools (grades 4 thru 6), and others are for secondary schools (grades 7 thru 12). Most local school district survey results were also accompanied by a separate executive summary report. Please note that these are the reports at the local school district level, not the raw surveys.

To quote from one of the FAQs at www.texasschoolsurvey.org, describing the contents of the questionnaire that forms the basis of the reports:

The Texas School Survey begins by asking for demographic information such as age, gender, race, grade, and so forth. The remaining questions address three basic issues.

Drug and alcohol use patterns: What types of drugs and alcohol are students using? How much do they typically consume, and how often? How old are the students when they first use drugs and alcohol? How easy is it to get drugs and alcohol? Where do the students usually get alcoholic beverages? What substances do students say their close friends use?

Drug and Alcohol Related Behaviors: How often do students drive after using drugs or alcohol? How often are drugs and alcohol used at parties? How often do students attend class high? How often do students report "skipping" or "cutting" school? Do students who use drugs and alcohol report more difficulties with school authorities and police? Substance Abuse Education and Support Networks: Where do the students get most of their information about drugs and alcohol? Who would students turn to if they needed help? How many students in your district have actually sought help for a substance use problem? What do parents think about their children drinking beer or using marijuana?

Purpose:
The local-level reports are prepared for the local school districts, and are used for their own purposes. The state did not originally get a copy of the local-level reports. Sometime prior to 1996, at the request of the director of the Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse (TCADA), the district/local-level reports dating 1988-1995 were sent by Texas A&M University to TCADA. Since then, additional local reports accumulated at TCADA, covering the next four years, bringing the total current holdings at DSHS to 1988-1999. Although these may have been convenience copies, apparently the local school districts often did not retain a copy for themselves.

To quote from one of the FAQs at www.texasschoolsurvey.org:

  • The Texas School Survey provides school districts with an accurate estimate of the extent and nature of substance use at the local level. It produces factual data to replace speculative and sensational information.
  • At the community level, the survey helps estimate the extent to which student substance use is primarily a "school problem." Some research indicates that much drug and alcohol use is centered not in the schools, but instead takes place after school hours and away from school grounds.
  • The survey not only quantifies local drug and alcohol use, but it also provides guidance on the best means to address the problem. Questions assess where the students get most of their information on drug and alcohol use and where they say they would turn for help with a substance problem. These data help identify which sectors of the community can most effectively unite to combat student substance use.
  • Administered over an extended period of time, the survey is an effective tool to evaluate the impact of special substance abuse prevention and education programs.
  • The Texas School Survey is designed to be responsive to questions of specific interest to Texas’ educators, policymakers, parents, and community groups.

Local-level reports are funded in two ways. First, those districts that are sampled and participate in the statewide sample can opt to have local reports based on the data collected as part of the statewide sample. The data collection and report production is paid for from the contract for the statewide survey. The reason for this is that receiving the local report provides a benefit and incentive for districts to participate. Second, districts not in the statewide sample pay a fee that pays for the collection of data and production of the report.

Agency program:
Beginning in 1988, the survey was a collaborative effort between the Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse and the Public Policy Resource Laboratory (PPRL) of Texas A&M University. PPRL (now called PPRI, Public Policy Resource Institute) had primary responsibility for designing the sample and collecting the data; TCADA was primarily responsible for design of the questionnaire and data analysis. The study was funded under the U.S. Department of Education Drug Free Schools and Communities Block Grant. In the 1988 survey, some 7,550 students selected through a multi-stage probability sample (representing 96 schools in 38 school districts) completed an eight-page questionnaire on alcohol and drug use patterns. The questionnaire explored usage patterns of 14 drugs and included questions pertaining to correlates of substance abuse, problems relating to substance abuse, and sources of information about and help for substance abuse-related problems. As an example of the survey’s increasing popularity, the 1996 Texas School Survey of Substance Use Among Students: Grades 7-12 was based on the responses of almost 107,000 secondary students in 72 school districts throughout Texas.

Arrangement: Chronological by year and therein alphabetical by school district.

Access Constraints: None

Use Constraints: None

Indexes or finding aids required for/or an aid to access? Texas Dept. of State Health Services has provided a simple inventory.

Problems: None

Known related records in other agencies: In 1980, the Texas Department of Community Affairs, Drug Abuse Prevention Division, sponsored a household survey of substance abuse in Texas and results were reported for Texas youth aged 12 to 17. At least one of the publications resulting from this survey is cataloged in the Texas Documents Collection, as Drug Abuse in Texas: The Problem and the State's Response (1980).

Previous destructions: Destruction requests on file in the Archives and Information Services Division of the Library and Archives Commission were checked for the Texas Department of State Health Services, and for the Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, and none were found for this series or for equivalent or related series.

Note: After the first records retention schedule for the Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse was approved April 20, 1993, any series on that schedule not designated as archival or for archival review could be destroyed automatically after its retention requirement were met, without the intervention of the Archives and Information Services Division of the Library and Archives Commission.

The private citizen requesting this appraisal reported to us the following: "Last year from August to October [2008], I submitted public information requests to the PPRL [at Texas A&M University] for copies of the Texas School Surveys produced for Houston and San Antonio Independent School Districts during years 1988 through 1995....I withdrew my request of the latter due to the high cost estimate. On April 29, 2009, in response to my request for page copies from additional surveys produced during years 1988-1995, I was informed that all paper copies of the local school district surveys produced prior to 2004 were destroyed....Fortunately, I was informed by DSHS that they have courtesy paper copies of the 1988-1995 Texas School Surveys." I confirmed that DSHS has paper copies of the local district reports, 1988-1999.

Publications based on records: None, although the statewide survey (appraised next) uses identical survey instruments, and is itself a publication.

Internet pages based on records: None

Series data from agency schedule:
Title:Reports and Studies (Non-Fiscal): specifically, Local District-Texas School Survey of Substance Abuse
Series item number: 1.1.067
Agency item number: 6439
Archival code: R
Retention: 3
Remarks: If report has historical relevance, do not destroy report but send it to the State Archivist at the end of the retention period. Local District-Texas School Survey in Iron Mountain until 8/1/2010, then transfer to State Archivist.

Series data from agency schedule of former Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse: (from 1st approved records retention schedule, April 20, 1993:
Title: Reports, Studies, and Surveys—Final
Series item number: 1.1.038
Agency item number: 183
Archival code: None
Retention: US + PS (until superseded, purpose served)
Remarks: None

and/or
Title: Research Reports, Record Copy
Series item number: 1.1.029
Agency item number: 184
Archival code: None
Retention: PM
Remarks: Retain permanent Record Copy and send required copies to the Publications Clearinghouse, Texas State Library.

(from final approved records retention schedule, June 5, 2003):
Title: School Survey Grant Files [I’m not sure this is the same series]
Series item number: 4.7
Agency item number: 407
Archival code: None
Retention: AC + 3
Remarks: Remarks: AC = satisfaction of all administrative requirements to federal, state, and local governments (Research & Evaluation).

Series data from the Retention Schedule for records of Public School Districts (prepared and recommended by the State and Local Records Division of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission
http://www.tsl.texas.gov/slrm/recordspubs/sd.html#part17

3600-03 Surveys - Surveys, questionnaires, opinion polls, and similar documents received from the Texas Education Agency or other agencies, completed and returned by the superintendent or other school official, and used by the surveying agency for the preparation of needs assessments or statistical reports and not for the specific purpose of monitoring compliance with a required or grant-funded program in the respondent district. RETENTION: AV. (Exempt from destruction request requirement)

Retention Note: It is an exception to the retention period given for this record group that records of the type described received by a regional education service center as a surveying agency must be retained by the center for 5 years.

Note: On November 9, 2010, Allison Seibert, Project Supervisor at the Public Policy Resource Institute (PPRI) of Texas A&M University, informed me that these records are not listed on any record retentions schedule. They had considered these reports as belonging to the local districts (to whom they are provided by PPRI), and when people requested the local reports, PPRI staff asked that the requestor contact the local district.

Texas Documents Collection holdings: See Known related records in other agencies, above.

Archival holdings: None at the Archives and Information Services Division of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

Gaps? None. Paper copies currently at TDSHS date 1988-1999. Electronic copies currently at PPRI date 1996-2009.

Appraisal Decision:
I have seen a number of these reports of local school surveys of substance abuse, and I am impressed with the richness of detail that each survey has gathered, in a combination of narrative and statistical reports. I completely agree with the private citizen who brought these records to our attention as to their long-term value.

Let me quote at length from his letter to us (in order to get his perspective on these records, and to demonstrate the trouble he went through to find them and see them):

"I strongly believe that these surveys hold great historical value as they track public health trends at the local school district level and serve as a comparison with the statewide survey reports titled 'Texas School Survey of Substance Use,' which is also produced biannually by DSHS and PPRL...

"Last year from August to October [2008], I submitted public information requests to the PPRL for copies of the Texas School Surveys produced for Houston and San Antonio Independent School Districts during years 1988 through 1995. I also requested a cost estimate for copies of all the school district surveys produced during years 1988 through 1995. I withdrew my request of the latter due to the high cost estimate. On April 29, 2009, in response to my request for page copies from additional surveys produced during years 1988-1995, I was informed that all paper copies of the local school district surveys produced prior to 2004 were destroyed. I was informed by PPRL and DSHS staff that only papers copies were available for the 1988-1995 surveys. When I requested documentation confirming the destruction of the documents, Susan Yeager, the public information coordinator at Texas A&M, stated that none existed. Fortunately, I was informed by DSHS that they have courtesy paper copies of the 1988-1995 Texas School Surveys...."

An apt description of these records would be "orphaned." The local reports are only partly summarized in the statewide Texas School Survey of Substance Abuse reports; they are related, but at the same time independent reports. The local surveys are conducted annually, the statewide survey is biennial. The local surveys are not entirely local records, although they deal with local data, as do many state and federal records; I have listed above the closest match on the recommended records retention schedule for school district records, created by TSLAC’s State and Local Records Division. Their creation involves significant expense and effort from the local school districts, from the state, and from the federal government.

This appraisal report is considering the entire series, not just the paper copies now at the Dept. of State Health Services (1988-1999), but also the electronic copies now at the Public Policy Resource Institute (PPRI) of Texas A&M University (1996-2009 and ongoing). On November 9, 2010, Allison Seibert, Project Supervisor at PPRI indicated that they would be willing to send the reports to the Texas State Archives if requested.

To conclude, we believe these records have enduring value, especially in conjunction with (and compared to) the statewide survey reports. The issue of substance abuse is a vital one, and these local reports are unique records, neither widely disseminated nor even summarized anywhere. To repeat, they are related to the statewide survey reports, but are also independent of them. They are both archival records.

Action required from the Texas Department of State Health Services:
We request that the 50 boxes at the Texas Dept. of State Health Services be transferred to the Archives and Information Services Division of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission. Since these specific records do not constitute an ongoing series at the Texas Department of State Health Services, that agency can (after transfer) delete the following statement from the Remarks column: "Local District-Texas School Survey in Iron Mountain until 8/1/2010, then transfer to State Archivist."

Action requested from the Public Policy Resource Institute (PPRI) of Texas A&M University:
We request that PPRI add this series as a state record with an archival code to the appropriate records retention schedule. Since they exist only in electronic format, the PPRI must migrate these records every few years into new software/ hardware platforms. When the Texas State Library and Archives Commission establishes an electronic archives program, we will then accept transfer of the records electronically. Additionally/alternately, TDSHS and PPRI could arrange to transfer the reports electronically to TDSHS, who could mount them on TDSHS’s website, where they would be periodically harvested by TRAIL (Texas Records and Information Locator; see http://www.tsl.texas.gov/trail/.) TRAIL does not capture the websites of universities.
 


Records Series Review
Series Title: Statewide Survey of Texas Schools

Obsolete record series? No
Replaced by: None

Ongoing record series? Yes
Annual accumulation: fractional

Agency holdings: Approximately 2-3 cubic ft. in the agency (10-15 hard copies of each report). Retained by the agency so long as administratively valuable. Present holdings of hardcopy reports date 1988-2004; present holdings of electronic versions date 2002-2008.

Description: These records are the final published copies of the biennial reports of the Statewide Survey of Texas Schools of Substance Abuse, dating 1988, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, and 2004. All except the 1988 report (which is secondary only), consist of two separate reports: elementary (grades 4-6) and secondary (grades 7-12). The elementary report for 2004 is in electronic format only. Electronic copies (in pdf format) are also available for the years 2002-2008, at http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/sa/RecentResearchStudies.shtm.

A typical report would be divided into chapters discussing the following issues, with both statistical tables and narrative analysis:

patterns of substance use for licit drugs (tobacco, alcohol, and inhalants), and for illicit drugs (marijuana, cocaine/crack, ecstasy, uppers, downers, rohypnol, hallucinogens, steroids, and heroin);

demographic correlates of substance use (gender, ethnicity, age of first use, classroom grade in school, academic performance, family structure, socioeconomic status, student employment, student allowances, family income level, parental education level, length of time in school district);

protective and risk factors related to substance use (peer use of substances, peer values and behaviors, substance use at parties, perceived availability, perceived danger of substances, perceived parental attitudes, parental attendance at school events, perceived safety, age of first use, gambling, extracurricular activities);

alcohol- and drug-related problems (trouble with friends, trouble with school, class attendance while drunk or high, trouble with authority figures, driving while drunk or high from drugs);

sources of information and assistance for substance problems (school sources of information on substance use, where students would go for help, students who have sought help for substance problems);

Conclusions and recommendations;

Appendices.

Purpose:
Since its inception in 1988, the Texas School Survey has been a biennial collaborative effort between the Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse (and since 2004, the Texas Department of State Health Services) and the Public Policy Research Institute (PPRI) at Texas A&M University, to collect and analyze information on substance use among Texas youths. The statewide survey monitors trends in substance use among public school students, identifies emerging problem areas, and serves as a basis of comparison for local school surveys which are conducted annually by various school districts throughout the state.

Data from the statewide sampling are incorporated into an over-time database maintained by DSHS to track trends in substance use so that policymakers at the state level have up-to-date information upon which to base decisions and plot prevention strategies. These data also serve as an overall standard of comparison for use by those at the district level to interpret, and act upon, local survey findings in a similar way.

Over the past two decades, The Texas School Survey has been used in eleven statewide surveys and in more than 3000 local survey administrations conducted by school districts across the state.

Agency program:
Beginning in 1988, the survey was a collaborative effort between the Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse and the Public Policy Resource Laboratory (PPRL) of Texas A&M University. PPRL (now called Public Policy Resource Institute, PPRI) had primary responsibility for designing the sample and collecting the data; TCADA was primarily responsible for design of the questionnaire and data analysis. The study was funded under the U.S. Department of Education Drug Free Schools and Communities Block Grant. In the 1988 survey, some 7,550 students selected through a multi-stage probability sample (representing 96 schools in 38 school districts) completed an eight-page questionnaire on alcohol and drug use patterns. The questionnaire explored usage patterns of 14 drugs and included questions pertaining to correlates of substance abuse, problems relating to substance abuse, and sources of information about and help for substance abuse-related problems. As an example of the survey’s increasing popularity, the 1996 Texas School Survey of Substance Use Among Students: Grades 7-12 was based on the responses of almost 107,000 secondary students in 72 school districts throughout Texas.

The survey has inherent limitations, described in detail by the executive summary in 1988, primarily three. First, the data were collected in public secondary schools. Second, the data are based on self-reported information. Third, the data presented in the report were based on a sample of Texas secondary students.

Arrangement: Chronological

Access Constraints: None

Use Constraints: None

Indexes or finding aids required for/or an aid to access? None

Problems: None

Known related records in other agencies: In 1980, the Texas Department of Community Affairs, Drug Abuse Prevention Division, sponsored a household survey of substance abuse in Texas and results were reported for Texas youth aged 12 to 17. At least one of the publications resulting from this survey is cataloged in the Texas Documents Collection, as Drug Abuse in Texas: The Problem and the State's Response (1980).

Previous destructions: Destruction requests on file in the Archives and Information Services Division of the Library and Archives Commission were checked for the Texas Department of State Health Services, and none were found for this series or for equivalent or related series.

Publications based on records: These are publications.

Internet pages based on records: None

Series data from agency schedule:
Title: Statewide Survey of Texas Schools
Series item number: 1.1
Agency item number: 6983
Archival code: R
Retention: AV
Remarks: Used to track trends in substance abuse.

Texas Documents Collection holdings:
Substance use among students in Texas secondary schools, 1988
Texas school survey of substance abuse: grades 4-6, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998
Texas school survey of substance abuse: grades 7-12, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2002

TRAIL (Texas Records and Information Locator, maintained by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission and accessible online at http://www.tsl.texas.gov/trail/) captures all state agency web pages that can be reached by following links from an agency's main web site, as long as the links are to resources on a state agency's website. The first TRAIL harvest was conducted in February 2007. The most recent TRAIL harvest (August 2010) captured the "gateway" page: http://wayback.archive-it.org/414/20100820010906/http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/sa/RecentResearchStudies.shtm. Every resource on that page was captured (including Texas school survey of substance abuse: 2002, 2004, 2006, and 2008) except some of the Substance Abuse Trends documents that are hosted on www.utexas.edu or on non-state sites.

Gaps in Texas Documents Collection holdings?
1990, 2000, 2002 onward (for elementary survey), 2004 onwards (for secondary survey)

Archival holdings: None at the Archives and Information Services Division of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

Appraisal Decision:
There is no question in my mind that the published Statewide Survey of Texas Schools is archival. Substance abuse is a vital issue, and these reports give a detailed yet compact analysis of the problem over time, at the statewide level. Their value will be considerably enhanced by comparison with the annual local survey reports.

The Texas Department of State Health Services should change its archival code from "R" (archival review) to "A" (archival), with the Remarks column to state “Archival requirement is fulfilled by sending required copies to the State Publications Depository Program, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.” To fill gaps in existing holdings of the Texas Documents Collection, TDSHS should send us copies of the following reports: 1990, 2000, 2002 onward (for elementary survey), 2004 onwards (for secondary survey).

Since the reports are in electronic format only, beginning in 2006, the Texas Department of State Health Services has the responsibility to migrate these electronic reports onto new software and hardware platforms every few years until the Archives and Information Services Division of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission establishes an electronic records program. At that time, the reports can be transferred to the Texas State Archives.

 

Page last modified: July 30, 2012