It’s that time of the year again where you are preparing to teach Reproductive Health. You need to send out letters to parents and secure a VHS player to show “the video.” You know the one…because you probably watched it when you were in 4th or 5th grade too.
Times have changed, laws have changed, but has your Reproductive Health Curriculum changed?
Did you know?
In Kent county, 6% of seventh graders reported having sexual intercourse in the most recent round of the Michigan Profile for Healthy Youth (MiPHY) in the 2019/2020 school year. For high school, the percentage of reported sexual intercourse increased to 12% at 9th grade and 32% for 11th grade students. MiPHY middle/high school data also shows that exhibited sexual behaviors are being influenced by not only age, but also race/ethnicity.
Questions to consider:
- Does your district provide instruction on puberty, HIV/AIDS, and/or reproductive health?
- Have these lessons and resources been approved through the district’s Sex Education Advisory Board (SEAB)?
- Does every teacher have a valid HIV/AIDS instructional certificate?
- How quickly can you locate the required biennial evaluations for your district’s HIV/AIDS & reproductive health curriculum?
Whether or not you answered yes, no, or unsure to the questions above, it might be time to update membership, gain approval for hybrid learning content, or add topics to level learning objectives. Each of these steps are heavily regulated through formalized processes governed by MDE.
Where to start
All of these items (and more) are supported through the Regional Health Coordinator and health department at Kent ISD. We offer training specific to meet instructor qualifications, as well as provide in-district assistance for curriculum review and SEAB processes. Five local districts have already started tackling reproductive health for this school year in forming new SEABs, reviewing curriculums, revisiting Board policies, and general process overviews for staff.
Regardless of the curriculum implemented, the Kent ISD Health Team can support district efforts to use health education as an opportunity to provide preventative education with skill-based and age-appropriate content.
The Michigan Department of Education has a long-standing mandate requiring HIV/AIDS instruction be provided at every building cluster. This content must be provided from an instructor that has received an HIV/AIDS certification through a regional reproductive health training. The first training opportunity for this school year will be held Thursday, October 21, 2021.
Click here to register for Reproductive Health: HIV Certification today!
**Update**Two new trainings have been added. Join us on January 24th or March 10th.
Questions?
If your district is uncertain about any of these topics or the mandates set by MDE concerning these processes, please contact Amber Hubbell at: amberhubbell@kentisd.org
#ReproductiveHealth #Health #WeLeadLearning #KentISDpd
This blog post was written by Amber Hubble, Regional Health Coordinator for Kent ISD, and edited by Amanda Walma, Professional Development Coordinator, and Sara Sefcik, PD Hub Intern for Kent ISD.
The Bulletin 