San Dieguito Union High School District

Health

California Department of Education Health Education Framework

The Health Education Framework is aligned to the 2008 California Health Education Content Standards, which support the development of knowledge, skills, and attitudes in eight overarching standards: (1) essential health concepts; (2) analyzing health influences; (3) accessing valid health information; (4) interpersonal communication; (5) decision making; (6) goal setting; (7) practicing health-enhancing behaviors; and (8) health promotion in six content areas of health education: nutrition and physical activity; growth, development, and sexual health; injury prevention and safety; alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs; mental, emotional, and social health; and personal and community health in the 2008 Health Education Content Standards.

The California Department of Education (CDE), Instructional Quality Commission (IQC), and State Board of Education (SBE) recently revised the Health Education Curriculum Framework for California Public Schools, Transitional Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve (Health Education Framework), which was adopted by the SBE in May 2019. Additional details and the most recent revised draft are available on CDE’s website here.

California Healthy Youth Act

Enacted January 1, 2016, The California Healthy Youth Act (CHYA) integrates the instruction of comprehensive sexual health education and HIV prevention education. The bill renamed the prior California Comprehensive Sexual Health and HIV/AIDS Prevention Education Act to the California Healthy Youth Act. The bill requires school districts to ensure that all pupils in grades seven to twelve, inclusive, receive comprehensive sexual health education and HIV prevention education at least once in middle school and at least once in high school.

Per the California Department of Education, the California Healthy Youth Act has five primary purposes:

To provide pupils with the knowledge and skills necessary to protect their sexual and reproductive health from HIV and other sexually transmitted infections and from unintended pregnancy;
To provide pupils with the knowledge and skills they need to develop healthy attitudes concerning adolescent growth and development, body image, gender, sexual orientation, relationships, marriage, and family;
To promote understanding of sexuality as a normal part of human development;
To ensure pupils receive integrated, comprehensive, accurate, and unbiased sexual health and HIV prevention instruction and provide educators with clear tools and guidance to accomplish that end;
To provide pupils with the knowledge and skills necessary to have healthy, positive, and safe relationships and behaviors

State law defines comprehensive sexual health education as “education regarding human development and sexuality, including education on pregnancy, contraception, and sexually transmitted infections” (EC § 51931[b]). HIV prevention education is defined as “instruction on the nature of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and AIDS, methods of transmission, strategies to reduce the risk of HIV infection, and social and public health issues related to HIV and AIDS” (EC § 51931[d]).

Additional information regarding the CHYA can be found on the California Department of Education's website.

Health Education in SDUHSD

Middle School Health

Middle School Health addresses Comprehensive Sexual Health and HIV/AIDS Prevention Education. These units are taught in middle school science courses each spring. This practice complies with the California Healthy Youth Act (CHYA) mandate, which requires that Comprehensive Sexual Health and HIV/AIDS Prevention Education be taught at least once in middle school and once in high school. SDUHSD parents/guardians will receive a notification letter at least 14 days before the start of this instruction, in compliance with the CHYA mandate: “Prior to providing instruction in comprehensive sexual health education or HIV prevention education, Education Code (EC) 51938 requires school districts to notify parents of the instruction and to make materials available for parents to review."

Below are the Spring 2024 units and lessons. Please note that they are reviewed annually to reflect and refine instruction based on feedback from students, parents, and staff and in compliance with CHYA.

Middle School Health Lesson Topics:

*Units	7th-Grade Lessons	8th-Grade Lessons	Modified Lessons
Classroom Culture and Climate	Lessons	Lessons	Lessons for all Units
Growth and Development	Lessons	7th-Grade Only
Healthy Relationships	Lessons	Lessons
Pregnancy and Parenting	Lessons	Lessons
Abstinence and Contraception	Lessons	Lessons
HIV and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)	8th-Grade Only	Lessons
Sex Abuse, Violence, and Human Trafficking	Lessons	Lessons

Students who opt out of Health Education will complete Alternative Assignments.

*Under the California Healthy Youth Act, all comprehensive sexual health and HIV prevention instruction and materials in grades K-12 must be inclusive of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or queer (LGBTQ) students. Learn more here.

March 29, 2024 - CHYA Notification Letter English/Spanish/Chinese (Traditional)
Middle School Health Education Parent Slide Deck - 2024

High School Health

Health content is currently delivered as part of first-year, 9th-grade Physical Education (PE) courses at district high schools. It may also be taken in later grade levels for students who move into our district and have not yet received the content. Students enrolled in PE courses with health will access the health curriculum through an online platform, Edgenuity/Imagine Learning. More information can be found in the teacher's syllabus and a course profile example for Year One PE can be found here.

High School Health Lesson Topics:

Unit, Lessons & Lesson Objectives

Unit: Growth, Development, and Sexual Health
Lesson: Puberty, Gender Identity, and Sexual Orientation

Describe factors that influence sexual development, relationships, and behaviors.
Explain the role of the endocrine system in adolescent development.
Identify individual differences in gender identity.
Identify individual differences in sexual orientation.

Lesson: Abstinence, Safe Sex, and Making Informed Decisions

Compare and contrast a variety of FDA-approved contraceptives.

Describe the benefits of abstinence.
Identify factors that influence one’s perceptions about sexual activity.
Identify ways to maintain sexual or reproductive health.

Lesson: Conception, Pregnancy, and Birth

Describe practices that are important for the health of a pregnant woman and her fetus.
Evaluate the physical, social, emotional, legal, and economic effects of teen pregnancy and parenting.
Explain how conception occurs and the stages of pregnancy.

Lesson: Sexually Transmitted Infections, HIV, and AIDS

Analyze reliable sources of information regarding sexual health.
Describe medical care for sexually transmitted infections.
Identify methods to avoid or reduce the risk of a sexually transmitted infection.
Identify the effects of sexually transmitted infections.

Unit: Healthy Relationships

Lesson: Skills for Healthy Relationships

Describe strategies for communicating in healthy ways.
Explain the role of empathy in building and maintaining healthy relationships.
Identify character traits that promote healthy relationships.

Lesson: Healthy Relationships: Dating and Marriage

Describe how to communicate effectively with a romantic partner.
Describe strategies to prevent and respond to incidents of domestic violence.
Describe the effects of being in an unhealthy romantic relationship.
Explain the characteristics of a healthy romantic relationship.

Lesson: Conflict Resolution and Decision-Making Skills

Describe how to apply a thoughtful decision-making process to a dangerous, risky, or emotionally charged situation.
Explain how to effectively respond to peer pressure.
Explain healthy communication and conflict resolution skills.
Identify options that exist when communication fails or breaks down.

Lesson: Sexual Harassment and Sexual Assault

Define sexual assault and sexual harassment.
Explain the effects of sexual assault, sexual harassment, and molestation.
Identify resources that provide information, counseling, testing, and other information related to sexual violence and harassment.

Lesson: Human Trafficking in the US

Describe how to safely seek assistance if human trafficking is suspected.
Describe the scope of human trafficking in the US.
Explain how to reduce the risk of human trafficking.
Explain methods traffickers use to identify and recruit targets.

Lesson: Healthy Family Relationships

Describe the characteristics of healthy family relationships.
Explain how family relationships affect well-being.
Identify common causes of conflict between family members.

Lesson: Understanding Relationships with Peers

Describe the characteristics of healthy peer relationships.
Describe the positive and negative effects of social networking on peer relationships.
Explain how peer relationships affect well-being.
Identify common causes of conflict between peers

Lesson: Parenting

Describe the benefits of waiting to become a parent until adulthood.
Describe the positive and negative effects of parenting choices on a child.
Explain the responsibilities of parenting.

Frequently Asked Questions & Resources

Please consult the following resources for answers to frequently asked questions and how to best support your student in accessing the school health curriculum.

Frequently Asked Questions: This document provides answers to commonly asked questions and is divided into three sections: (1) General CHYA Health Education Questions, (2) Opt-Out Questions, and (3) Parent Resources. SDUHSD will continue to update this document as new questions from the community are shared.
California Department of Education (CDE) FAQ for Sexual Education, HIV/AIDS, and STDs: This document provides answers to frequently asked questions (FAQ) regarding comprehensive sexual health education, HIV/AIDS and STD instruction.
Know Your Rights (English/Español/Chinese - Traditional ): As required by the CHYA, public school districts must provide students with “information about local resources and student rights to accessing sexual and reproductive health care and assistance with sexual assault and intimate partner violence. EC § 51934(a)(8).”

Parent Notification of COMPREHENSIVE SEXUAL HEALTH AND HIV/AIDS PREVENTION EDUCATION Content

School districts may notify parents/guardians at the beginning of the school year or at least 14 days prior to instruction. Districts shall allow parents to excuse their child from the comprehensive sexual health education and HIV prevention instruction upon receiving a signed, written request, using a passive consent or "opt-out" policy for the state-required comprehensive sexual health education and HIV prevention instruction. Districts shall not adopt an active consent or "opt-in" policy for parental consent for required comprehensive sexual health education and HIV prevention instruction.” - Excerpt from ”Parent Notification” information tab on California Department of Education website.