2417 - COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL HEALTH EDUCATION
The Board shall provide a comprehensive health education program that addresses the essential knowledge and skills that helps students to become "health literate," making the healthiest choices available, and avoiding those behaviors that can cause damage to their health and well-being.
The Board shall comply with current state law in implementing comprehensive health education programs. In doing so, the Board shall adopt, implement, and evaluate a research-based, theory-driven comprehensive education program.
The District’s comprehensive health education program shall strive to:
provide at least fifty (50) hours of health education instruction at every grade, Pre-kindergarten through Grade 12, to give all students sufficient time to learn health skills and habits for a lifetime;
help students master the Michigan Health Education Content Standards and Benchmarks;
focus on helping young people develop and practice personal and social skills, such as communication and decision making, in order to deal effectively with health-risk situations;
use active, participatory instructional strategies to engage all students;
address social and media influences on student behaviors and help students identify healthy alternatives to specific high-risk behaviors;
emphasize critical knowledge and skills that students need in order to obtain, understand, and use basic health information and services in ways that enhance healthy living;
focus on behaviors that have the greatest effect on health, especially those related to nutrition; physical activity; violence and injury; alcohol and other drug use; tobacco use; and sexual behaviors that lead to HIV, sexually transmitted disease, or unintended pregnancy, emphasizing their short-term and long-term consequences;
build functional knowledge and skills, from year to year, that are developmentally appropriate; and
include accurate and up-to-date information, and be appropriate to students’ developmental levels, personal behaviors, and cultural backgrounds.
Assessment
Student work in health education courses shall be regularly assessed and graded using performance-based items that are aligned with the health education content standards. Course grades shall be determined in the same manner as other subject areas, and shall be included in calculations of grade point average, class rank, and academic recognition programs.
Collaborative Approach
Collaborative and integrative approaches shall be used in the teaching of health education. The health education program is one component of a coordinated school health program and shall be coordinated with other school health initiatives.
Health topics shall be integrated into the instruction of other subjects with the assistance of school health education professionals, in order to complement the health education program.
The District will collaborate with community organizations to provide student learning opportunities in both the classroom and the community. Participation in community opportunities for service learning related to health and utilization of community resources as a part of classroom instruction shall be in accordance with policies of the Board and relevant to course objectives.
The District shall partner with parents/guardians and families, who are recognized as the first and primary health educators of their children, in order to provide consistent messages regarding health behavior. Health education programs shall be consistent with school and community standards that support positive parent/child communications and guidance.
Implementation
The Board shall employ highly qualified teachers of health education. Such teachers shall possess the necessary qualifications, skills, and training essential to perform their duties well, and shall serve as positive role models by demonstrating healthy behaviors.
Teachers shall have received quality professional development in health education through their pre-service preparation or through in- service training.
In order to teach health in secondary health courses, a teacher must have an endorsement in health or family and consumer sciences on their secondary level teaching certificate.
The Board supports ongoing professional development activities specifically related to health education, including practice using strategies designed to positively influence students’ health behaviors and attitudes.
The Board shall evaluate its policies and implementation of District efforts that promote health literacy and healthy behaviors among all students. The District shall utilize available funds effectively in providing health education services and shall work with local partners in pursuit of additional resources to provide comprehensive school health education programming, professional development, and classroom materials.
© Neola 2012