Health Education
One of the primary goals of health education is health literacy for all students in California. Health literate students can understand basic health information, directions, and services needed to make informed personal health decisions which may also contribute to healthier communities. Health-literate and health-informed students are:
- Critical thinkers and problem solvers when confronting health issues.
- Self-directed learners who have the competence and skills to use basic health information and services in health-enhancing ways.
- Effective communication who organize and convey beliefs, ideas, and information about health issues, translating their knowledge to applied practices.
- Responsible and productive citizens who help ensure that their community is kept healthy, safe, and secure.
These four essential characteristics of health-literate individuals are woven throughout the health education standards and this framework.
Health Framework (Revised Draft May 2019 Revision)
Family Resources for Sex Education
| Family Resources for Sex Education |
Note to families: The following resources can be used to talk to your child about sensitive topics. Each family is different, has different needs, so these resources are populated to support you depending on your families needs:
How do I talk to my child about these sensitive topics?
What are some youth resources our family can use? (shared from LA County Office of Education)
General Sexual Health Information:
- Amaze.org- Animated videos regarding sexual health
- Cool, Not Cool: An app about friends and relationships where you decide what’s “cool” or “not cool”
- One Love:- Health vs Unhealthy relationships
- Ever Body Curious- Educational Youth YouTube series sexuality for ages 9-12
- KidsHealth- Website designed for parents, young children and teens for FAQ
- Teen Health: Learn the facts about sexual health with articles about puberty, menstruation, infections, and just about everything else you want to know, for guys and girls.
- I Am Jasimine Strong: Stories about and resources for survivors of sex trafficking.
- Planned Parenthood: Sexual health information for teens
- Pocket Guide LA
- Scarleteen: Inclusive, comprehensive, supportive sexuality and relationship info for teens and emerging adults
- Sex, Etc: Sex education by teens, for teens. Info on birth controls, condoms, HIV/AIDS & STDs, pregnancy and more
- Teensource.org: Contains a clinic finder, free Condom Access Program for youth 12-19, information on STIs, contraception and minors’ rights.
- We Can Stop STDs LA
Support for LGBTQIA+ Youth
- It Gets Better: Watch an endless stream of inspiring stories shared by people just like you. Visit their Get Help page to find LGBTQ+ youth support services in your community
- Trevor Project: Provides crisis intervention and suicide prevention services including a 24 hour hotline (1-866-488-7386) for LGBTQ young people under 25
- We are the Youth: Ongoing photographic journalism project chronicling the individual stories of lesbian, gay, bisectual, transgender and queer yotuh in United States
Youth Websites in Spanish
- Planned Parenthood: https://www.plannedparenthood.org/es/temas-de-salud/para-adolescentes/lgbtq
- Teens Health: https://kidshealth.org/es/teens/pregnancy-esp.html
- Love is Respect: https://espanol.loveisrespect.org/
- My Plan: https://www.myplanapp.org/
- RAINN: https://www.rainn.org/es
- Human Trafficking Hotline: https://humantraffickinghotline.org/obtenga-ayuda
California Healthy Youth Act (Comprehensive Sex Health Education and HIV Prevention Middle School and High School)
| What is the California Healthy Youth Act? (Middle and High School) |
Enacted January 1, 2016, this law integrates the instruction of comprehensive sexual health education and HIV prevention education. The bill renamed the California Comprehensive Sexual Health and HIV/AIDS Prevention Education Act to the California Healthy Youth Act. The bill requires school districts to ensure that all pupils in grades seven to twelve, inclusive, receive comprehensive sexual health education and HIV prevention education.
California Healthy Youth Act:
The California Healthy Youth Act has five primary purposes:
- To provide pupils with the knowledge and skills necessary to protect their sexual and reproductive health from HIV and other sexually transmitted infections and from unintended pregnancy;
- To provide pupils with the knowledge and skills they need to develop healthy attitudes concerning adolescent growth and development, body image, gender, sexual orientation, relationships, marriage, and family;
- To promote understanding of sexuality as a normal part of human development;
- 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;
- To provide pupils with the knowledge and skills necessary to have healthy, positive, and safe relationships and behaviors
For information on the California Healthy Youth Act, California Education Code (EC) sections 51930–51939, please visit the California Legislative Information Web Page
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What grades is CHYA taught in?
These sections of the Education code address both comprehensive sexual health education and HIV prevention education. The law requires that both comprehensive sexual health and HIV prevention education are taught once in middle school and once in high school. In Culver City Unified School District it is taught in 7th grade (science classes) and 9th grade (health classes).
What Curriculum is used to teach CHYA?
Both Middle School and High School use Positive Prevention Plus
What if I want to opt my child out of taking Comprehensive Sex Education?
California state law allows you to opt your child out of all parts or portions of the curriculum. If you do not wish your child to participate in this curriculum, please notify your child's teacher in writing (ED Code 51938 a).
Will CHYA be taught during distance learning?
CHYA will be taught both at middle and high school during the 2020-2021 school year. Due to the circumstances, comprehensive sexual health education might be delivered in a distance learning format. Due to this distance learning format, it is important for families to ensure that:
- Students have headphones or a private space away from younger children to participate in these lessons.
- Students do not record or distribute any of the instructional material.
Other Resources:
Frequently Asked Questions
Questions and answers regarding the California Healthy Youth Act on the California Department of Education Web page.
Provides information regarding new laws for comprehensive sexual health education and HIV prevention education.