Intercourse and Well being Training Modifications in Massachusetts Faculties Acquire Approval

Massachusetts college students will now have entry to extra inclusive and complete intercourse and well being schooling, following a unanimous vote by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Training. That is the primary replace to the curriculum frameworks since 1999. The brand new requirements are divided into 4 age teams: pre-Okay by way of second grade, grades 3-5, grades 6-8, and grades 9-12.

For the youngest college students, the main target is on studying about wholesome consuming, managing stress, practising good hygiene, and understanding emergency conditions. They may also be taught about gender stereotypes, bullying, and the significance of taking medicine as directed.

As kids progress by way of college, the curriculum expands to incorporate schooling on intercourse, wholesome relationships, gender identification, substance use, and staying protected from human and intercourse trafficking. The rules additionally present extra particular, science-based strategies for bodily schooling.

To develop these new requirements, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Training performed a summer-long public remark interval, throughout which they acquired virtually 5,400 feedback by way of varied channels resembling e-mail, mail, and on-line surveys.