BP 6142.1 — Comprehensive Health Instruction

Section: 6000 - Instruction
Status: Active

Adopted: 2020-02-13

Revised: 2024-04-18

Policy text

COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH INSTRUCTION

The Governing Board desires to provide a well-planned, integrated sequence of medically accurate and inclusive instruction on comprehensive sexual health and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention. The district’s educational program shall provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to protect them from sexually transmitted infections and unintended pregnancy and to have healthy, positive, and safe relationships and behaviors. The district’s educational program shall also promote understanding of sexuality as a normal part of human development and the development of healthy attitudes and behaviors concerning adolescent growth and development, body image, gender, sexual orientation, relationships, marriage, and family.

Comprehensive sexual health education and HIV prevention education shall be offered to all students in grades 7-12, including at least once in junior high or middle school and at least once in high school. Any health education course offered to middle or high school students shall include instruction in mental health that meets the requirements of Education Code 51925-51926, and as specified in Administrative Regulation 6143 - Courses of Study.

The Health Education Content Standards for California Public Schools have eight overarching standards in the following areas:

Essential Health Concepts: All students will comprehend essential concepts related to enhancing health.
Analyzing Health Influences: All students will demonstrate the ability to analyze internal and external influences that affect health.
Accessing Valid Health Information: All students will demonstrate the ability to access and analyze health information, products, and services.
Interpersonal Communication: All students will demonstrate the ability to use interpersonal communication skills to enhance health.
Decision Making: All students will demonstrate the ability to use decision-making skills to enhance health.
Goal Setting: All students will demonstrate the ability to use goal-setting skills to enhance health.
Practicing Health-Enhancing Behaviors: All students will demonstrate the ability to practice behaviors that reduce risk and promote health.
Health Promotion: All students will demonstrate the ability to promote and support personal, family, and community health.

The district’s curriculum shall support the purposes of the California Healthy Youth Act as specified in Education Code 51930-51939, be unbiased and inclusive of all students in the classroom, and be aligned with the state’s content standards. The district shall respect the rights of parents/guardians to supervise their children’s education on these subjects and to impart values regarding human sexuality to their children.

The Superintendent or designee shall identify appropriate methods for informing the school community about subjects related to the district’s comprehensive health curriculum. The Superintendent or designee shall use such identified methods to inform parents/guardians of students in grades 6-12 about human trafficking prevention resources, as required pursuant to Education Code 49381.

Parent/Guardian Consent

Annually, parents/guardians shall be notified that they may request in writing that their child be excused from participating in comprehensive sexual health and HIV prevention education. Students so excused by their parents/guardians shall be given an alternative educational activity.

A student shall not be subject to disciplinary action, academic penalty, or other sanction if the student’s parent/guardian declines to permit the student to receive the instruction.