COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH EDUCATION

COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH EDUCATION

po2417Adopted May 1, 2002Revised October 7, 2025

2417 - COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH EDUCATION

  1. Pursuant to State law, the Board shall provide an evidence-based, medically accurate, comprehensive instruction on:
     
    1. Health education that addresses concepts of community health, consumer health, environmental health, and family life, including injury prevention and safety, internet safety, nutrition, personal health, prevention and control of disease, substance use and abuse, and prevention of child sexual abuse, exploitation, and human trafficking.
    2. Life skills that build confidence, support mental and emotional health, and enable students to overcome challenge,s including self-awareness and self-management, responsible decision-making, resiliency, relationship skills and conflict resolution, understanding and respecting other viewpoints and backgrounds.
    3. For students in grades 7 through 12, teen dating violence and abuse.  This component will include, but is not limited to, the definition of dating violence and abuse, the warning signs of dating violence and abusive behavior, the characteristics of healthy relationships, measures to prevent and stop dating violence and abuse, and community resources available to victims of dating violence and abuse.
    4. For students in grades 6 through 12, an awareness of the benefits of sexual abstinence as the expected standard and the consequences of teenage pregnancy.
    5. For students in grades 6 through 12, the social, emotional, and physical effects of social media.  This component must include, but need not be limited to, the negative effects of social media on mental health, including additional; the distribution of misinformation on social media; how social media manipulates behavior; the permanency of sharing materials online; how to maintain personal security and identify cyberbullying, predatory behavior, and human trafficking on the internet; and how to report suspicious behavior encountered on the internet.
  2. The health education and life skills instruction and materials may not contradict the principles enumerated in F.S. 1003.42.
  3. However, classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in pre-kindergarten through grade 8 or in other grades in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with State standards. (HB 1069)
  4. This curriculum shall enable students to master the standards set forth in the State academic standards.
  5. Instruction will include basic training in first aid, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), once in middle school in a physical education or health class and once in high school in a physical education or health class.  Instruction in the use of cardiopulmonary resuscitation must allow students to practice the psychomotor skills associated with performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation and include the use of an automated external defibrillator (AED).
  6. Health education materials shall, at all times, reflect current theory, knowledge, and practice, and shall be evidence-based and proven effective. The materials shall be available for review at each school site.
  7. Any student whose parent makes a written request to the school principal shall be permitted to opt out from the lessons regarding reproductive health or any sexually transmitted disease, including HIV/AIDS, its symptoms, development, and treatment. A student so exempted may not be penalized by reason of that exemption and shall be given alternative assignments during this time.
  8. Parents shall be notified of their right and the process to request an exemption.  The District’s website homepage includes a link for a student’s parent to access and review the instructional materials, as defined in F.S. 1006.29, to teach the curriculum.
  9. The District shall annually review and confirm that the information provided on the District’s website homepage is accurate and up to date. 
  10. The Florida Department of Education shall approve all materials used by the Board to teach reproductive health or any disease, including HIV/AIDS, its symptoms, development, and treatment, as part of the courses referenced in F.S. 1003.42.
  11. Personnel providing instruction in human sexuality shall receive training based on District-approved standards prior to presenting such instruction.

Revised 7/22/14
Revised 11/14/23
Revised 10/7/25

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