Health Education

Comprehensive Health Education provides students with the knowledge and skills to become health literate throughout their lives.   Students will develop health skills including decision making, communication, accessing information, goal setting, advocacy, self-management and the ability analyze influences on health.  The skills are integrated throughout the Maryland State Framework on Health Education standards.  The core health concepts include mental and emotional health, substance abuse and prevention, family life and human sexuality, safety and violence prevention, healthy eating and disease prevention and control.

At the elementary level, health education is taught primarily by physical education teachers. In middle schools, health education generally is taught as a rotation in physical education.  High school students must take a one credit graduation requirement in the course Health Education/Life Skills.

Family Life is taught in grades 5-10. The topics include physical and emotional maturation, reproduction, physical and sexual abuse, sexually transmitted diseases, HIV/AIDS instruction and information on pregnancy prevention with emphasis on abstinence.  Students may be excused from this unit of the program upon written request from a student’s parent or guardian.