Texas Administrative Code
Title 19 - EDUCATION
Part 2 - TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY
Chapter 115 - TEXAS ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS FOR HEALTH EDUCATION
Subchapter C - HIGH SCHOOL
Section 115.38 - Health I (One-Half Credit), Adopted 2020
Universal Citation: 19 TX Admin Code ยง 115.38
Current through Reg. 49, No. 38; September 20, 2024
(a) General requirements. Students shall be awarded one-half credit for successful completion of this course. This course is recommended for students in Grades 9-12.
(b) Introduction.
(1) The goal of health education is to
provide instruction that allows youth to develop and sustain health-promoting
behaviors throughout their lives. The understanding and application of these
standards will allow students the ability to gather, interpret, and understand
health information; achieve health literacy; and adapt to the ever-evolving
science of health. The health education knowledge and skills should be
presented to students in a positive manner to support the development of a
healthy self-concept and responsible decision making. The standards will help
students reinforce, foster, and apply positive character traits.
(2) There are essential skills that repeat
throughout six strands and embody the interconnection of health literacy. These
skills include decision making, problem solving, goal setting, maintaining
healthy relationships with self and others, seeking help and support, and
recognizing various influences on health such as social, environmental, media,
and genetic. These skills, developed early on and reinforced throughout a
student's education, will foster mastery of health concepts. Health class
educators are encouraged to partner with school counselors where available to
schedule time for them to deliver classroom guidance lessons to help teach
these essential competencies. In addition, areas in the standards related to
abuse, neglect, violence, loss, grief, trauma, and suicide may directly affect
some students in the classroom. Should the educator recognize signs of
discomfort with instruction in these areas, students should be referred to the
appropriate resource, identified ahead of such instruction, for additional help
and support.
(3) Students will gain
an understanding of health information and skills through six strands: physical
health and hygiene; mental health and wellness; healthy eating and physical
activity; injury and violence prevention and safety; alcohol, tobacco, and
other drugs; and reproductive and sexual health.
(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 empowers 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.
(F) In
the reproductive and sexual health strand, students identify the
characteristics of healthy and unhealthy relationships and learn to use
communication and refusal skills to set personal boundaries and develop
strategies for responding to sexual harassment and abuse. Students describe the
changes associated with adolescent development and explain the process of
fertilization, fetal development, and the importance of prenatal care. Students
also learn that sexual abstinence until marriage is the only 100% effective
means of avoiding unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted
diseases/sexually transmitted infections (STDs/STIs) as well as the legal,
financial, and social issues associated with sexual health and
reproduction.
(4) An
integral part of health education involves educators being aware of state laws
relevant to human sexuality instruction. These laws include affirming:
(A) a local school district's control over
the provision of human sexuality instruction to ensure that local community
values are reflected in that instruction (Texas Education Code (TEC),
§28.004(e)-(h));
(B) the right
of a parent or legal guardian to be informed of the provision of human
sexuality instruction to their child and review the content of that instruction
(TEC, §
28.004(i)-(j)
);
(C) the right of a parent or
legal guardian to remove their child from any portion of human sexuality
instruction without penalty to the child (TEC, §
28.004(i)
);
(D) the centrality of abstinence
education in any human sexuality curriculum (TEC, §
28.004(e)
); and
(E) the right of a parent or
legal guardian to be informed of and consent to an abortion performed on their
pregnant child (with judicially authorized or medical emergency exceptions)
(Texas Family Code, Chapter 33).
(5) Educators also should be aware of and
abide by the statutory prohibition on taxpayer resource transactions between
state governmental entities, including public schools, and abortion providers
or an affiliate of an abortion provider (Texas Government Code, Chapter
2272).
(6) Statements containing
the word "including" reference content that must be mastered, while those
containing the phrase "such as" are intended as possible illustrative
examples.
(7) Students should first
seek guidance in the area of health from a parent or legal guardian.
(c) Knowledge and skills.
(1) Physical health and hygiene--personal
health and hygiene. The student understands health literacy, preventative
health behaviors, and how to access and evaluate health care information to
make informed decisions. The student is expected to:
(A) analyze health information based on
health-related standards;
(B)
develop and analyze strategies to prevent communicable and non-communicable
diseases; and
(C) discuss the
importance of early detection and warning signs that prompt individuals of all
ages to seek health care.
(2) Mental health and wellness--social and
emotional health. The student identifies and applies strategies to develop
socio-emotional health, self-regulation, and healthy relationships. The student
is expected to:
(A) discuss and demonstrate
perspective-taking and ways to show respect for others' feelings and express
empathy toward others; and
(B)
analyze forms of communication such as passive, aggressive, or assertive and
their impact on conflict resolution.
(3) Mental health and wellness--developing a
healthy self-concept. The student develops the capacity for self-assessment and
evaluation, goal setting, and decision making in order to develop a healthy
self-concept. The student is expected to explain and demonstrate
decision-making skills based on health information.
(4) Mental health and wellness--risk and
protective factors. The student recognizes the influence of various factors
influencing mental health and wellness. The student is expected to analyze how
adverse childhood experiences such as abuse, neglect, and trauma can influence
brain development and how to recognize, process, and overcome negative events
for overall mental health and wellness.
(5) Mental health and wellness--identifying
and managing mental health and wellness concerns. The student develops and uses
appropriate skills to identify and manage conditions related to mental health
and wellness. The student is expected to:
(A)
discuss the suicide risk and suicide protective factors identified by the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the importance of telling
a parent or another trusted adult if one observes the warning signs in self or
others; and
(B) discuss how the use
of suicide prevention resources such as the National Suicide Prevention Hotline
reduces the likelihood of suicide.
(6) Healthy eating and physical
activity--food and beverage daily recommendations. The student analyzes and
applies healthy eating strategies for enhancing and maintaining personal health
throughout the lifespan. The student is expected to:
(A) evaluate food labels and menus to
determine the nutritional content and value of foods and make healthy decisions
about daily caloric intake;
(B)
compare and contrast the impact of healthy and unhealthy dietary practices;
and
(C) describe how a personal
dietary plan affects overall health and how a plan might differ over the
lifespan.
(7) Healthy
eating and physical activity--physical activity. The student identifies,
analyzes, and applies strategies for enhancing and maintaining optimal personal
physical fitness throughout the lifespan. The student is expected to:
(A) analyze the relationships between
nutrition, physical activity, and quality of life as they relate to mental,
physical, and social health benefits; and
(B) analyze the relationships between body
composition, diet, and physical activity, including how to balance caloric
intake and physical activity.
(8) Healthy eating and physical
activity--risk and protective factors. The student analyzes and applies risk
and protective factors related to healthy eating and physical activity. The
student is expected to:
(A) evaluate the
nutritional differences between preparing and serving fresh or minimally
processed food versus serving commercially prepared or highly processed foods;
and
(B) evaluate the connection
between physical activity and dietary choices as they relate to the prevention
of chronic conditions.
(9) Injury and violence prevention and
safety--safety skills and unintentional injury. The student identifies and
demonstrates safety and first aid knowledge to prevent and treat injuries. The
student is expected to demonstrate basic first-aid procedures, including how to
perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and choking rescue and how to use
an automated external defibrillator (AED).
(10) Injury and violence prevention and
safety--healthy home, school, and community climate. The student understands
that individual actions and awareness can impact safety, community, and
environment. The student is expected to:
(A)
formulate strategies for avoiding violence, gangs, weapons, and human
trafficking; and
(B) assess the
dynamics of gang behaviors.
(11) Injury and violence prevention and
safety--digital citizenship and media. The student understands how to be a safe
and responsible citizen in digital and online environments. The student is
expected to:
(A) develop strategies to resist
inappropriate digital and online communication such as social media posts,
sending and receiving photos, sexting, and pornography; and
(B) identify appropriate responses to
situations in which digital and online safety are at risk, including identity
protection and recognition of predators.
(12) Injury and violence prevention and
safety--interpersonal violence. The student understands the impact of
interpersonal violence and the importance of seeking guidance and help to
maintain personal safety. The student is expected to:
(A) research and analyze how exposure to
family violence can influence cyclical behavioral patterns;
(B) create a personal action plan, including
identifying areas of support, for use when encountering bullying,
cyberbullying, or harassment; and
(C) describe the ramifications of bullying
behavior.
(13) Alcohol,
tobacco, and other drugs--use, misuse, and physiological effects. The student
understands the difference between use and misuse of different substances and
how the use and misuse of substances impacts health. The student is expected
to:
(A) examine examples of drug labels to
determine the drug category and intended use;
(B) identify and describe the importance of
the safe storage and proper disposal of prescription and over-the-counter
drugs; and
(C) develop strategies
for preventing the misuse of prescription and over-the-counter drugs, including
recognizing the negative effects of combining drugs.
(14) Alcohol, tobacco, and other
drugs--short- and long-term impacts. The student identifies and analyzes the
short- and long-term impacts of the use and misuse of alcohol; tobacco; drugs,
including prescription drugs; and other substances. The student is expected to
describe the interrelatedness of alcohol and other drugs to health
problems.
(15) Alcohol, tobacco,
and other drugs--treatment. The student recognizes and understands the options
for treatment and how to seek help related to the use and misuse of alcohol;
tobacco; drugs, including prescription drugs; and other substances. The student
is expected to:
(A) investigate and identify
treatment options for substance abuse and addiction and misuse, including
prescription drugs; and
(B) explain
how to report suspected abuse of drugs to a parent, school administrator,
teacher, or another trusted adult.
(16) Alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs--risk
and protective factors. The student understands how various factors can
influence decisions regarding substance use and the resources available for
help. The student is expected to:
(A) compare
and contrast physical and social influences on alcohol, tobacco, and other drug
use behaviors;
(B) design materials
for health advocacy such as promoting a substance-free life; and
(C) discuss ways to participate in
school-related efforts to address health-risk behaviors.
(17) Alcohol, tobacco, and other
drugs--prevention. The student analyzes information and applies
critical-thinking skills to avoid substance use and misuse and recognizes the
benefits of delayed use. The student is expected to:
(A) analyze the relationship between the use
of refusal skills and the avoidance of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs;
and
(B) analyze the role that
alcohol and other drugs play in unsafe situations, including sexual abuse and
assault.
(18)
Reproductive and sexual health--healthy relationships. The student understands
the characteristics of healthy romantic relationships. The student is expected
to:
(A) analyze how friendships provide a
foundation for healthy dating/romantic relationships;
(B) identify character traits that promote
healthy dating/romantic relationships and marriage; and
(C) describe how a healthy marriage can
provide a supportive environment for the nurturing and development of
children.
(19)
Reproductive and sexual health--personal safety, limits, and boundaries. The
student understands how to set and respect personal boundaries to reduce the
risk of sexual harassment, sexual abuse, and sexual assault. The student is
expected to:
(A) describe the characteristics
of sex trafficking such as grooming, controlling behavior, exploitation, force,
fraud, coercion, and violence;
(B)
analyze the characteristics of harmful relationships that can lead to dating
violence;
(C) analyze healthy
strategies for preventing physical, sexual, and emotional abuse;
(D) analyze how a healthy sense of self and
making and respecting decisions about safe boundaries and limits promote
healthy dating/romantic relationships;
(E) explain and demonstrate how refusal
strategies can be used to say "no" assertively to unhealthy behaviors in
dating/romantic relationships;
(F)
examine factors, including alcohol and other substances, that increase sexual
risk and that affect setting, perceiving, respecting, and making decisions
about boundaries;
(G) examine and
discuss influences and pressures to become sexually active and why it is wrong
to violate another person's boundaries and manipulate or threaten someone into
sexual activity; and
(H) explain
the importance of reporting to a parent or another trusted adult sexual
harassment, sexual abuse, sexual assault, and dating violence involving self or
others.
(20)
Reproductive and sexual health--anatomy, puberty, reproduction, and pregnancy.
The student analyzes adolescent development, the process of fertilization, and
healthy fetal development. The student is expected to analyze the importance of
telling a parent or another trusted adult, obtaining early pregnancy testing,
and seeking prenatal care if signs of pregnancy occur.
(21) Reproductive and sexual health--sexual
risk. The student understands that there are risks associated with sexual
activity and that abstinence from sexual activity is the only 100% effective
method to avoid risks. The student is expected to:
(A) research and analyze the educational,
financial, and social impacts of pregnancy on teen parents, the child,
families, and society, including considering the effects on one's personal life
goals;
(B) describe various modes
of transmission of STDs/STIs;
(C)
investigate and summarize the statistics on the prevalence of STDs/STIs among
teens by referencing county, state, and/or federal data sources;
(D) describe signs and symptoms of STDs/STIs,
including human papillomavirus (HPV), human immunodeficiency virus/acquired
immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS), chlamydia, syphilis, gonorrhea, herpes,
and trichomoniasis, and identify that not all STDs/STIs show
symptoms;
(E) analyze the
importance of STD/STI screening, testing, and early treatment for sexually
active people, including during yearly physicals or if there is a
concern;
(F) analyze emotional
risks that can be associated with sexual activity for unmarried persons of
school age, including stress, anxiety, and depression;
(G) analyze the importance and benefits of
abstinence from sexual activity as it relates to emotional health and the
prevention of pregnancy and STDs/STIs;
(H) identify support from parents and other
trusted adults and create strategies, including building peer support, to be
abstinent or for return to abstinence if sexually active;
(I) analyze the effectiveness and the risks
and failure rates (human-use reality rates) of barrier protection and other
contraceptive methods, including how they work to reduce the risk of STDs/STIs
and pregnancy; and
(J) explain the
legal responsibilities related to teen pregnancy, including child support and
acknowledgement of paternity.
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