School Evaluation - Odd question

I just got their packets in the mail for their pre-k eval which is done shortly after their 3rd birthday. I started filling them out and came across an odd question... at least *I* thought it was odd. It asks what is used in the household ()Tobacco, () Alcohol and () owns a gun. I sat there and shook my head.. No to tobacco... I don't drink and dh has some alcohol in the house, but yes, we have guns. DH hunts. I grew up with guns so I am familiar with them and at one point was a very good shot.
Can anyone tell me about why this question is on there? Are they keeping track of who might carry a gun to school in the future? I just don't get it. I mean, I am all for gun safety and stuff, but the question just seems odd to me. WWYD? What are your thoughts on this?
Thanks!

 

I don't know, that (all of those questions actually) has never been on any forms for my oldest DD's school.

 

That IS odd. If it's a private school, perhaps they use it as part of the evaluation of your family? If it's a public school maybe they're gathering statistical data?

Either way, if you're going to say yes, maybe say why (ie - that your DH hunts).

 

Is this something that is completely anonymous? I have seen surveys such as those sent out from my school, but parents were asked to fill them out anonymously. I would be very reluctant to fill out surveys that ask such personal questions unless they were anonymous. Most families have nothing to hide I understand, but whether or not you drink alcohol, have tobacco, or own a gun seems like a privacy issue to me. The only thing that comes to mind is maybe they are fishing for fetal alcohol syndrome or issues related to tobacco use and child development. The gun part totally has me stumped.

 

Public school. Eval is probably not the word.. it is a readiness thing... they check eyes, hearing, etc...

 

This is a guess...

I suspect that they are involved in some sort of government funded study or it's government mandated data collection. It sounds like it is for public health data/research--they tend to ask about those things together. They are probably trying to ascertain what behaviors or household situations are related to child outcomes--like injuries, illnesses, or mortality. If it is government data, they aren't trying to make any predictions about individuals--they want to know the overall aggregate/group level trends.

You can always ask about it, but it sounds just like the data sets I've used (or seen others use) in my research.

 

The question is on my pedi's yearly WBV eval questionnaire. I thought it had something to do with gun safety (i.e. are guns locked up away from kids or do they have a trigger lock). The eval also asks questions about riding in car seats, lead paint (i.e. when was your house built), do you smoke, etc.

We check yes every year (DH's dad is retired FBI and DH grew up shooting with him. I even go to the range and shoot with him), but no one has asked me about it.

Mendy