Comprehensive Health Education Program

...Healthy Kids, Healthy San Francisco: Moving towards health literacy

Historical Background

In 1991, the Board of Education adopted a policy mandating a
comprehensive health education program (19-24Sp1). The policy requires:

• District adoption of health education curriculum
• Minimum instructional time
• Credentialing requirements for teachers

The District health education curriculum is based on guidelines from the California Health Framework, National, State and SFUSD Challenge Standards in Health Education, and priority health areas
identified by U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

What is the goal of the Comprehensive Health Education Program?

The goal is to provide instruction, resources and activities that build personal and social skills to address the physical, mental, emotional and social dimensions of students

What is Comprehensive Health Education?

• Classroom instruction that addresses the physical, mental, emotional, and social dimensions of health; develops health knowledge, attitudes, and skills; and is tailored to each age level;
• Designed to motivate and assist st·udents to maintain and improve their health, prevent disease, and reduce health-related risk behaviors;

SHPD implements the following

• Planned, sequential, developmentally appropriate and culturally sensitive instruction about health for students in grades K-12 in multiple modalities;
• Programs addressing physical, mental, emotional, social and spiritual dimensions of health;
• Programs providing students with knowledge, attitudes, and skills to make health promoting decisions, and motivation to maintain and improve health through wise choices;
• Skills based curriculum focusing on effective communication, decision making, stress management, planning and goal setting;
• Peer education programs to enhance curriculum delivery;
• Use of community and civic organizations to enhance site based curriculum through theater, field trips, classroom presentations , modeling and mentoring;
• District wide events and commemorations to support adopted curriculum;
• Ongoing professional development providing health teachers with “best practices”, current information and policy awareness; Curriculum and Materials Review Task Force to review materials dealing with sexuality to ensure developmentally appropriate and culturally sensitive instruction.
• Parent/caregiver notification of course content to assist families to make and encourage health promoting decisions and family involvement including projects and homework.
  

For further information contact us.