Code:  IGAI

Readopted:  2/26/18

Adopted:   5/19/14

Orig. Code(s):  IGAI

The district shall provide an age-appropriate, comprehensive plan of instruction focusing on human sexuality, HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections and disease prevention in elementary and secondary schools as an integral part of health education and other subjects.

Course material and instruction for all human sexuality education courses that discuss human sexuality shall enhance students’ understanding of sexuality as a normal and healthy aspect of human development.   In addition, the HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections and disease prevention education and the human sexuality education comprehensive plan shall provide adequate instruction at least annually, for all students in grades 6 through 8 and at least twice during grades 9 through 12.

A part of the comprehensive plan of instruction shall provide age-appropriate child sexual abuse prevention instruction for students in kindergarten through grade 12.  The district must provide a minimum of four instructional sessions annually; one instructional session is equal to one standard class period.

Parents, teachers, school administrators, local health department staff, other community representatives and persons from the medical community who are knowledgeable of the latest scientific information and effective education strategies shall develop the plan of instruction and align it with the Oregon Health Education Standards and Benchmarks.

The Board shall approve the plan of instruction and require that it be reviewed and updated biennially in accordance with new scientific information and effective educational strategies.

The comprehensive plan of instruction shall include the following information that:

1. Promotes abstinence for school age youth and mutually monogamous relationships with an uninfected partner for adults;
2. Allays those fears concerning HIV that are scientifically groundless;
3. Is balanced and medically accurate;
4. Provides balanced and accurate information and skills-based instruction on risks and benefits of contraceptives, condoms and other disease reduction measures;
5. Discusses responsible sexual behaviors and hygienic practices which may reduce or eliminate unintended pregnancy, exposure to HIV, hepatitis B/C and other sexually transmitted infections and diseases;
6. Stresses risks of behaviors such as the sharing of needles and syringes for injecting illegal drugs and controlled substances;
7. Discusses the characteristics of the emotional, physical, and psychological aspects of a healthy relationship;
8. Discuss the benefits of delaying pregnancy beyond the adolescent years as a means to better ensure a healthy future for parents and their children.  Students shall be provided with statistics based on the latest medical information regarding both the health benefits and the possible side effects of all forms of contraceptives, including the success and failure rates for prevention of pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections and diseases;
9. Stresses that HIV/STD’s and Hepatitis B/C can be possible hazards of sexual contact;
10. Provides students with information about Oregon laws that address young people’s rights and responsibilities relating to childbearing and parenting;
11. Advises students of consequences of having sexual relations with persons younger than 18 years of age to whom they are not married;
12. Encourages family communication and involvement and helps students learn to make responsible, respectful and healthy decisions;
13. Teaches that no form of sexual expression or behavior is acceptable when it physically or emotionally harms oneself or others and that it is wrong to take advantage of or exploit another person;
14. Teaches that consent is an essential component of healthy sexual behavior.  Course material shall promote positive attitudes and behaviors related to healthy relationships and sexuality, and encourage active student bystander behavior;
15. Teaches students how to identify and respond to attitudes and behaviors which contribute to sexual violence;
16. Validates the importance of one’s honesty, respect for each person’s dignity and well-being, and responsibility for one’s actions;
17. Uses inclusive materials, and strategies that recognizes different sexual orientations, gender identities and gender expression;
18. Includes information about relevant community resources, how to access these resources, and the laws that protect the rights of minors to anonymously access the resources.

The comprehensive plan of instruction shall emphasize skill-based instruction that:

1. Assists students to develop and practice effective communication skills, development of self-esteem and ability to resist peer pressure;
2. Provides students with the opportunity to learn about and personalize peer, media, technology and community influences that both positively and negatively impact their attitudes and decisions related to healthy sexuality, relationships and sexual behaviors, including decisions to abstain from sexual intercourse;
3. Enhances students’ ability to access valid health information and resources related to their sexual health;
4. Teaches how to develop and communicate sexual and reproductive boundaries;
5. Is research based, evidence based or best practices; and
6. Aligns with the Oregon Health Education Content Standards and Benchmarks.

All sexuality education programs emphasize that abstinence from sexual intercourse, when practiced consistently and correctly, is the only 100 percent effective method against unintended pregnancy, HIV infection (when transmitted sexually), hepatitis B/C infection and other sexually transmitted infections and diseases.

Abstinence is to be stressed, but not to the exclusion of contraceptives and condoms for preventing unintended pregnancy, HIV infection, hepatitis B/C infection and other sexually transmitted infections and diseases.  Such courses are to acknowledge the value of abstinence while not devaluing or ignoring those students who have had or are having sexual relationships.  Further, sexuality education materials, including instructional strategies, and activities must not, in any way use shame or fear based tactics.

Materials and information shall be presented in a manner sensitive to the fact that there are students who have experienced, perpetrated or witnessed sexual abuse and relationship violence.

The district shall make known to the parent and district residents that the human sexuality and AIDS/HIV instructional materials and child abuse prevention instruction materials used in class, in a course, assembly or school-sponsored activity are available for review.  The district shall also encourage family communication and involvement.

The parent of minor students shall be notified in advance of any human sexuality, or AIDS/HIV instruction and child abuse prevention instruction.  The notice shall state an opportunity to review materials, no student shall be required to take or participate in the instruction and a written objection submitted to the district will excuse a student with no disciplinary or academic consequence.

END OF POLICY

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ORS 336.035
ORS 336.107
ORS 336.455 to -336.475
ORS 339.370 to -339.400
OAR 581-022-1910
OAR 581-022-2030
OAR 581-022-2050
OAR 581-022-2220

Cross Reference(s):
IGBHD - Program Exemptions

Code:   IGAI-AR
Revised:  1/14/20, 3/31/10, 7/17/06
Adopted:  4/1/00

 

The curriculum for providing education about human sexuality will be part of the human growth and development instruction in the district's comprehensive health education program.  The curriculum for that program is to be developed by a curriculum review project team or committee (including teachers, administrators and parents) using input from students and assistance from state and local health department staff and others with expertise in the field.  Student standards and outcomes will be specified at benchmark levels, with curriculum agreements about human sexuality education content being designated to particular grade-levels.  Age-appropriate instruction in human growth and development will occur at each grade level K-12, with specific reproductive terminology beginning at grade 4.

As part of the district's health program, instruction in human sexuality will stress the value of abstinence, as indicated in this district position statement about abstinence:

"Abstinence from sexual activity and other high-risk behaviors will be taught as the only totally effective means of prevention of teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs/HIV) and the most appropriate course of action for young people during their school-age years.

"Abstinence is to be stressed.  However, it will not be emphasized to the exclusion of other materials and instruction on contraceptive and disease reduction measures which emphasize the risk factors associated with any method other than abstinence, and are presented as adult choices.

 "Therefore the curriculum will: (1) promote abstinence for school-age youth; (2) incorporate refusal skills and self-esteem building activities; (3) reinforce the benefits of abstinence without devaluating or ignoring those young people who have had or are having sexual intercourse; and (4) promote mutually monogamous relationships with an uninfected partner for adults as the safest and most responsible sexual behavior.

"Providing guidance for youth in this period of development is a crucial function of the home and school working together to help students develop into responsible adults whose behavior reflects concern for self and others and incorporates family values."  (Health Curriculum Review, 8/97)

Instruction will include information about:

1. Responsible sexual behaviors and hygienic practices which eliminate or reduce the risks of pregnancy, exposure to human immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis B and other infectious or sexually transmitted diseases;
2. Abstinence for school-age youth and mutually monogamous relationships with an uninfected partner for adults, without the devaluing or ignoring of those young people who have had or are having sexual intercourse;
3. Contraceptive and disease reduction measures;
4. Statistics based on the latest medical information regarding both the possible side effects and health benefits of all forms of contraceptives, including the success and failure rate for prevention of pregnancy, an the efficacy of contraceptives in preventing HIV infection and other sexually transmitted diseases;
5. Emotional, physical and psychological consequences of early sexual involvements, including the consequences of disease or an unintended pregnancy;
6. Sexually transmitted diseases as serious possible hazards of sexual contact;
7. Oregon laws that address young people’s rights and responsibilities relating to childbearing and parenting;
8. Laws pertaining to persons 18 years of age or older having sexual relations with persons younger than 18 to whom they are not married;
9. No form of sexual expression being acceptable when it physically or emotionally harms oneself or others;
10. Unwanted physical or verbal sexual advances, and how to decline or accept them;
11. The wrongness of taking advantage of or exploiting another person;
12. The importance of honesty with oneself and others, respect for each person's dignity and well-being and responsibility for one's actions;
13. Development of self-esteem, the development and practice of effective communication skills and the ability to resist peer pressure; and
14. Responsible decision making.

The principal of each school is responsible for ensuring that parents are informed prior to instruction in human sexuality (within the classroom, an assembly or other school-sponsored activity) that the content will be covered, when such instruction will occur, the particular content of that curriculum for the specified grade level and the materials which will be used during instruction.  Parents must be provided the opportunity to view all materials.  At the same time, parents shall be informed that no student will be required to take or participate in any instruction in human sexuality if the student's parent(s), after having reviewed the materials, submits written objections to the school.

Any parent may request his/her student be excused from the instruction by putting that request in writing to the principal.  That exemption may be for all of the instruction related to the topic of concern or for specified elements of that instruction (such as a single video presentation or speaker).

It is the teacher's responsibility to ensure that appropriate alternative materials be available for the student, and that assignments in those alternative materials be handled in a way which does not single out or embarrass the student.  The criteria for appropriate alternative materials include:

1. Activities/Lessons must have a specific purpose;
2. Activities/Lessons must be related to health;
3. The amount of time and effort required for the alternative activity/lesson must match approximately the amount of time and effort required were the student included in the regular instruction;
4. Lesson products and/or discussions about learning need to be shared with the teacher (versus having the student make a report in front of the class, which may single him/her out.

Although alternative lesson suggestions are provided to teachers as part of the human sexuality instructional program materials, teachers have the latitude to work with parents to devise effective alternative experiences and credit for students which are in agreement with the above criteria.

The K-12 administrator for curriculum and staff development is designated as the staff person to facilitate verifying program implementation annually to the state Department of Education for purposes of the report to the Legislative Assembly at each regular session.