Sexual Health Education

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California Healthy Youth Act

The California Healthy Youth Act (AB 329) went into effect in January 2016 and requires schools to provide all students in grades 7-12 with age-appropriate sexual health education that is comprehensive and medically accurate.

The law mandates that curriculum must be LGBTI inclusive so that no students are left out, regardless of their gender identity or sexual orientation. It also requires schools to provide information on sexually transmitted infections/HIV prevention, pregnancy prevention, consent, and healthy relationships (how to avoid adolescent relationship abuse and sex trafficking).

The following resources can help educators and school-based health practitioners learn about this new requirement for California schools.

National Sexuality Education Standards

The first-ever national standards for sexuality education in schools provide clear, consistent, and straightforward guidance on the essential minimum, core content for sexuality education that is developmentally appropriate for students in grades K through 12. The standards are the result of a cooperative effort by the American Association for Health Education, the American School Health Association, the National Education Association Health Information Network, and the Society of State Leaders of Health and Physical Education, in coordination with the Future of Sex Education (FoSE) Initiative.

Comprehensive Sexual Health Education Policy Leadership Institute Training Materials

CSHA (formerly known as CSHC) hosted a one-day Policymaker Leadership Institute in December 2010 in conjunction with the California School Boards Association’s annual conference.  The goal of the Institute, funded by the National Institute for Reproductive Health, was to increase school board members’ understanding of:

  • The need for comprehensive sexual health education (CSHE) in schools,
  • Components of an effective sexual health education policy and program, and
  • Strategies for overcoming barriers to implementing such a program.

Below are materials from this Institute including the power point presentations from the keynote address by one of the country’s leading experts on sexuality education, Dr. Douglas Kirby, and from a presentation by California PTA President, Jo Loss.

Sample School District Policies on Sexual Health Education

Sexual Health Education Websites and Resources