Texas Administrative Code
Title 19 - EDUCATION
Part 2 - TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY
Chapter 115 - TEXAS ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS FOR HEALTH EDUCATION
Subchapter A - ELEMENTARY
Section 115.13 - Health Education, Grade 1, Adopted 2020

(A) Physical health and hygiene education helps to prepare students for improved lifelong health outcomes. Learning about body systems lays the foundation for personal health and hygiene. Health literacy and preventative behaviors empower students to make informed choices to support self, family, and community.

(B) The mental health and wellness strand recognizes that the knowledge and skills necessary to manage emotions, reactions, and relationships are essential to reaching one's full potential. Students gain knowledge about social and emotional health, including developing a healthy self-concept, understanding risk and protective factors, and identifying and managing mental health and wellness concerns. In the early grades, students develop fluency around emotions and self-regulation and understand the relationship between feelings, thoughts, and behavior. In subsequent grades, students learn and practice appropriate ways to solve interpersonal conflicts, work to develop a positive self-image, and develop healthy self-management skills.

(C) The healthy eating and physical activity strand addresses the importance of nutrition and physical activity to support a healthy lifestyle. Students apply critical-thinking and decision-making skills to make positive health choices. Students learn about essential nutrients, food groups, portion control, government nutritional recommendations, and the health benefits of being physically active. Students evaluate the connection between physical activity and nutrition and the prevention of chronic diseases.

(D) By focusing on injury and violence prevention and safety, the standards promote student well-being and awareness of dangerous situations. Supporting student well-being and providing instruction in digital citizenship, bullying prevention, first aid, and identification of safe and unsafe situations creates empowered and educated students who are able to make decisions that keep themselves and others safe. Beginning in Kindergarten and continuing through high school, students gain knowledge and skills to support safety and wellness at school, at home, online, and in the community.

(E) The standards under the alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs strand focus on a number of protective factors that develop empowered students who are able to make better-informed decisions, including understanding the impact of substance use on physical, mental, and social health. Through this strand, students learn key concepts about alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs, including the use, misuse, and physiological effects; short- and long-term impacts on health; treatment; risk and protective factors; and prevention. These concepts introduce healthy alternatives and ways for students to ask for and seek out help from parents and other trusted adults.

(A) identify types of health care professionals and describe the services they provide such as medical checkups, dental exams, and vision and hearing screenings;

(B) describe personal hygiene and health habits that enhance individual health such as personal hygiene, oral hygiene, and getting enough sleep;

(C) describe ways in which germs are transmitted, methods of preventing the spread of germs, and the importance of immunization; and

(D) describe where head lice and biting insects that may cause illness, including ticks and mosquitos, are commonly encountered and how to avoid them.

(A) identify their own feelings and emotions;

(B) discuss and explain how emotions can interrupt thinking and the self-management process;

(C) describe and practice calming and self-management strategies;

(D) describe ways in which peers and families can work together to build healthy relationships;

(E) describe ways to build and maintain friendships;

(F) identify ways to respectfully communicate verbally and nonverbally;

(G) identify feelings and emotions expressed by others; and

(H) identify and practice ways to solve conflicts with friends and peers.

(A) discuss ways to be kind to self and how to identify areas for growth; and

(B) explain the importance of goal setting and task completion.

(A) discuss and demonstrate how to treat peers with different learning needs with dignity and respect;

(B) identify situations that can create positive stress and positive emotions; and

(C) discuss the signs and symptoms associated with negative stress such as loss or grief.

(A) explain that fruits, proteins, vegetables, and dairy provide essential vitamins and minerals;

(B) identify recommended portion sizes by comparing portions to familiar objects such as a golf ball for a cookie or a frisbee for a dinner plate;

(C) identify the food groups and classify examples of foods into each group; and

(D) identify ingredients that make foods and drinks unhealthy such as added sugar and other sweeteners.

(A) identify common food allergies and explain the importance of respecting others who have allergies; and

(B) describe habits that improve individual health such as getting enough sleep, eating nutritious foods, and exercising.

(A) discuss and demonstrate strategies to keep self and others safe by staying away from dangerous situations and reporting to a parent or another trusted adult or contacting 911; and

(B) identify the purpose and demonstrate proper use of protective equipment such as seat belts, booster seats, and bicycle helmets.

(A) practice refusal skills to protect personal space and avoid unsafe situations;

(B) identify appropriate personal boundaries, privacy, and space; and

(C) recall parents'/caregivers' phone numbers as part of a personal safety plan.

(A) describe the difference between safe and unsafe environments; and

(B) identify ways to avoid weapons and harming oneself or others by staying away from dangerous situations and reporting to a parent or another trusted adult.

(A) describe consequences for both the victim and the bully and the impact of bullying on the victim;

(B) discuss ways of discouraging bullying;

(C) explain the differences between teasing, joking, and playing around and bullying; and

(D) identify how to get help from a parent or another trusted adult when made to feel uncomfortable or unsafe by another person.

(A) identify the difference between over-the-counter and prescription drugs; and

(B) identify and describe the harmful effects of alcohol, tobacco, other drugs, and dangerous substances such as inhalants, vaping products, and household products on physical health.