Health instruction within IUSD:
Health instruction in IUSD addresses the six health education content areas:
- Mental, Emotional, and Social Health
- Injury Prevention and Safety
- Nutrition and Physical Activity
- Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs
- Personal and Community Health
- Growth, Development and Sexual Health
- Social, Mental, and Emotional Health
- Injury Prevention, CPR, and Safety
- Nutrition and Physical Fitness
- Alcohol, Tobacco, Drug Prevention
- Information on Sexual Health, HIV Prevention, and Gender Identity
Additionally, health instruction focuses on the seven health standards:
- Standard 1 - All students will comprehend essential concepts related to enhancing health.
- Standard 2 - All students will demonstrate the ability to analyze internal and external influences that affect health.
- Standard 3 - All students will demonstrate the ability to access and analyze health information, products, and services.
- Standard 4 - All students will demonstrate the ability to use interpersonal communication skills to enhance health.
- Standard 5 - All students will demonstrate the ability to use decision-making skills to enhance health.
- Standard 6 - All students will demonstrate the ability to use goal-setting skills to enhance health.
- Standard 7 - All students will demonstrate the ability to practice behaviors that reduce risk and promote health.
sexual Health instruction within IUSD:
The California Healthy Youth Act (CHYA) requires that students receive instruction of comprehensive sexual health education and HIV prevention once in middle school and once in high school. In IUSD, comprehensive sexual health instruction is taught in 7th grade and during the semester-long high school health course.
CHYA states that instruction must encourage students to communicate with parents, guardians or other trusted adults about human sexuality. Instruction must be medically accurate, age‐appropriate and inclusive of all students. It must include the following:
- Information about HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including transmission, effects on the human body, FDA approved methods to prevent HIV and STIs, and treatment
- Information that abstinence is the only certain way to prevent unintended pregnancy and HIV and other STIs, and information about the value of delaying sexual activity
- Discussion about social views of HIV and AIDS including addressing unfounded stereotypes and myths
- Information about accessing resources for sexual and reproductive health care
- Information about pregnancy, including FDA approved prevention methods, pregnancy outcomes, prenatal care, and the newborn safe surrender law
- Information about sexual orientation and gender, including the harm of negative gender stereotypes
- Information about healthy relationships and avoiding unhealthy behaviors and situations including sexual harassment, sexual assault, adolescent relationship abuse, intimate partner violence, and sex trafficking
Preview the Curriculum
Middle School: Parent Information Videos providing an overview of the curriculum used in 7th grade classrooms can be viewed at these links: Video 1, Video 2. A letter containing a preview of the presentations, handouts and videos used in the classroom is provided each January to the parents/guardians of 7th graders.
High School: A letter containing a preview of the curriculum used in the high school classroom is provided to parents/guardians of students enrolled in the Health course at the beginning of each semester.
Anyone who wants to request a copy of the California Healthy Youth Act (California Education Code Sections 51930‐51939) or to review the comprehensive sexual health education and HIV prevention curriculum may contact the Irvine Unified School District office STEM Department at 949-936-5057.
Opting Out of Instruction
State law allows parents/guardians to remove their student from all or part of sexual health and HIV prevention education. Parents/guardians may provide a written request to the child’s principal or teacher (7th grade and high school health). Schools are not allowed to permit parents/guardians to ONLY opt out of lessons that are focused on LGBTQ content such as gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation; as doing so could be considered discriminatory.
IUSD has no plans to provide CHYA-related instruction in our elementary school grades, K-6.
Health Advisory Committee:
The IUSD Board of Education has established the Board appointed Health Advisory Committee (HAC) to review sensitive topic materials related to the California Healthy Youth Act and make recommendations to the Board of Education regarding their approval for use. The HAC consists of five members, each appointed by a member of the elected Board of Education. The HAC is advisory to the IUSD Board of Education.
The Health Advisory Committee meets several times a year to review lessons, activities, videos, and guest speakers related to the middle and high school growth, development and sexual health curriculum. Dates and times of these meetings can be found here.
The committee has approved guest speakers and supplemental videos for middle and high school and has amended the way in which Teen Talk will be used in middle and high school.
Click the links below to access the Approved Lists:
