The purpose of this memo is to reiterate the requirements for implementing a “comprehensive health education” as defined in 16 V.S.A. §§ 131-136 in school district minimum courses of study, the requirements of the National Health Education Standards (NHES) under the Education Quality Standards (EQS), and to provide additional valuable information intended to support school districts and supervisory unions (SU/SDs) in the creation and implementation of sexual health education as well as the provision of appropriate out-of-classroom sexual health supports.
Ensuring that your SU/SD is implementing a strong comprehensive health education curriculum is important not just for satisfying the law, but also to align our state’s work in the implementation of Act 173 of 2018. The Agency of Education (AOE) has identified four systems levers from the Education Quality Standards, including Rule 2120.6 Curriculum Coordination, which will be key to successful implementation of Act 173, one of the most significant education policy shifts to occur in Vermont in recent years. This will be an area where the AOE will be providing consistent leadership, support and oversight in the coming months and years.