HIV/STD Prevention Education
To achieve this goal the Siskiyou County Office of Education adopted the curriculum, Positive Prevention PLUS (PP+). Further information on the curriculum can be found on www.positivepreventionplus.com . PP+ is a research validated, evidence-based curriculum.
Parents/guardians have the right, responsibility and opportunity to preview the curriculum materials during a Parent Preview meeting. Parents/guardians are able to use this time to make an informed decision as to whether they want their child to participate in the program. Parents/guardians can opt their child out of the program. The preview also permits parents/guardians to receive valuable information in the ongoing dialogue with their child on these important subjects.
Why is HIV/STD Prevention & Comprehensive Sexual Health Education (CSHE) important?
- It is important to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to:
- Develop healthy attitudes concerning adolescent growth and development, body image, gender, sexual orientation, relationships, marriage, and family;
- Have healthy, positive, and safe relationships and behaviors;
- Protect their sexual and reproductive health from HIV and other sexually transmitted infections and from unintended pregnancy;
- Promote understanding of sexuality as a normal part of human development; and
- 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.
- Adolescence is a time of enormous change, physically, emotionally and socially. It is a difficult time for young people. Young people say that they WANT to talk to about sexuality.
- Many HIV infected individuals were infected as a result of their behavior in their teens and early twenties.
- Adolescents ages 15-24 account for nearly half of the 20 million new cases of STD's each year, in the world.
- Over 250,000 teens experience pregnancy each year in the U.S.
Comprehensive Sexual Health Education & HIV/STD Prevention Education is governed by AB 329 - the California Healthy Youth Act and Education Code 51930-51939. It is required to be taught at least once in grades 7-8 and at least once in grades 9-12. Topics areas include:
- Life/Goal Planning
- Gender and Sexual Orientation
- Healthy Friendships/Relationships
- Bullying/Dating Violence/Relationship Abuse
- Human/Labor/Sex Trafficking
- Human Reproductive Anatomy
- Conception/Pregnancy
- Preventing Pregnancy/STDs/HIV
- Contraception
- STDs/HIV/AIDS
- Media & Peer Pressure
- Communication/Refusal/Negotiation Skills
- Student/Family/Community Resources
For further information and frequently asked questions regarding AB 329 and Education Code 51930-39 please go to https://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/he/se/faq.asp .
Mark (Marcus) Mitchinson,
School Resources