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 115.14 - Health Education, Grade 2, 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 understanding 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) describe the importance of individual health maintenance activities such as regular medical checkups, dental exams, and vision and hearing screenings;

(B) explain actions an individual should take when not feeling well;

(C) discuss the importance of practicing personal hygiene and health habits;

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

(E) identify common illnesses and diseases, including asthma, diabetes, and epilepsy, and their symptoms; and

(F) discuss the signs and symptoms of illness that may occur after contact with biting insects, including ticks and mosquitos.

(A) communicate needs, wants, and emotions in healthy ways;

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

(C) discuss and explain how thoughts and emotions are related;

(D) explain the effect of peer influence on an individual's social and emotional health;

(E) describe the qualities of a good friend;

(F) describe and demonstrate respectful ways to communicate with family members, peers, teachers, and others;

(G) identify the feelings and perspectives of others by interpreting their verbal and nonverbal cues; and

(H) identify ways to prevent and repair broken friendships.

(A) discuss ways to be kind to self and others;

(B) define personal growth and identify areas for one's personal growth; and

(C) list the steps and describe the importance of goal setting and task completion.

(A) identify strategies for managing different learning needs of self and others; and

(B) identify positive and negative stressors and how they impact emotions and learning.

(A) identify types of nutrients;

(B) use familiar objects to identify healthy food portions from different food groups;

(C) identify healthy and unhealthy choices within the food groups; and

(D) identify the benefits of making healthy beverage choices, including water and milk, and limiting sweetened beverages such as soda and sports drinks.

(A) identify signs and symptoms of common food allergies; and

(B) identify the benefits of establishing healthy eating and physical activity habits that will last a lifetime.

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

(B) discuss the importance of telling a parent or another trusted adult when privacy or personal boundaries are not respected or when the student is made to feel unsafe.

(A) describe unsafe situations, including interacting with strangers;

(B) explain ways to avoid weapons and report the presence of unsupervised weapons to a parent or another trusted adult;

(C) identify the hazards of unsupervised and improper handling of guns and other weapons; and

(D) identify two trusted adults not part of the immediate family and recall their phone numbers as part of a personal safety plan.

(A) identify unsafe requests made in a digital or online environment and how to take appropriate action;

(B) explain why obtaining help, especially from parents or other trusted adults, is critical when making decisions regarding digital and online use; and

(C) identify consequences that result from cyberbullying and inappropriate digital and online usage.

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

(B) describe the difference between reporting and tattling; and

(C) explain why obtaining assistance, especially from parents or other trusted adults, can be helpful when making decisions about personal safety.

(A) describe the purposes of prescription and over-the-counter drugs and their intended benefits; and

(B) explain the harmful effects on physical health and how to avoid alcohol, tobacco, other drugs, and dangerous substances such as inhalants, vaping products, and household products.

(A) identify unsafe requests related to alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs made by friends; and

(B) identify a trusted adult such as a parent, teacher, or law enforcement officer.