Feedback Needed on the new GA Health Education Standards

Please we need your help!

Below is our research on the proposed Health Standards. We need to respond AGREE asap! As many responses as we can by this Friday!

Noelle

 Your feedback is needed NOW on the new Health Education Standards in Georgia!  

 Good news!  They listened to us!  The new draft includes what we had asked for:

Viewing pornography has been listed as a health risk in the middle school and high school standards.

Abstinence from sexual activity outside of marriage will be taught as the healthiest choice to middle and high school students in accordance with GA law.

The feedback survey is posted on the GA DOE website beginning 2/18/2021, through 3/19/2021. The survey will close at 5:00 PM EDT 3/19/2021.

You may take one survey for elementary school, one for middle school and one for high school.  The links to the standards and feedback survey are at the bottom of this email!

What questions can I expect in the feedback survey?

1. What is your role?   Check off either “parent, teacher, community member, etc.”

2. What is your county?

3. These are simply the links to the standards to read them.

4. Pick which age group you plan to do the survey for. We strongly suggest you pick K-5 first and then do the survey for it.  Do a second survey for grades 6-8 and a third survey for grades 9-12.  If you do 3 surveys instead of just one for all of K-12, then you can voice your opinion three times as opposed to once!

5. Indicate your level of agreement from “Strongly Agree” to “Strongly Disagree”.  Also includes “Don’t know”.   Our suggestions for the standards as a whole are below:

a.   The grade band or course standards are clear and understandable. – AGREE

b.   Appropriate— AGREE

c.   Defines what students should know— AGREE

d.   Relevant to world— AGREE

e.   Rigorous enough— AGREE

f.    Sufficient for instruction time—          DON’T KNOW         

g.   Prepares students to meet challenges— AGREE

6.    Specific concerns.   Here is where you may write your comments. The comments of Protect Student Health GA regarding sex education are below.  Please put in your own words if you use these:

Comments:

K-5 Survey comments

HE 2.1g “Understand proper names of all body parts and identify healthy and appropriate boundaries around physical touch.”  This is not age appropriate for second grade children. Please teach them that the body parts that should not be touched by others are those areas of the body covered by a bathing suit.

Grades 6-8 survey comments

Thank you for teaching in 7^th grade that the viewing of pornography is a health risk.  It would also be appropriate to teach in both 6^th and 8^th grades.

Thank you for emphasizing in 8^th grade that abstinence from sexual activity outside of marriage is the healthiest choice for everyone.

Thank you for making it clear in 8^th grade that under GA law, students under age 16 may not under any circumstances consent to sexual activity.

Grades 9-12 survey comments

Thank you for teaching in high school that the viewing of pornography is a health risk.

Thank you for emphasizing that abstinence from sexual activity outside of marriage is the healthiest choice for everyone.

Thank you for making it clear that, under GA law, students under 16 may not under any circumstances consent to sexual activity and that consent should never be assumed even if a person is older

Here is the GA Dept of Education website which contains the link to view the draft standards and the link to provide feedback: 

https://www.gadoe.org/External-Affairs-and-policy/communications/Pages/PressReleaseDetails.aspx?PressView=default&pid=838

Please email Brenda.protectstudenthealth.ga@gmail.com  with any questions!