This recent trend toward the isolation of health education from other disciplines and from outside input is of concern, and indicates that health teachers need to renew their efforts to make connections and to coordinate programs both with other teachers and with community members concerned about adolescent health. Most health education teachers are receiving in service training on health-related topics, and are seeking more. Unfortunately, school support for such professional development, which had risen from 1994 to 1996, declined significantly from 1996 to 1998. Keeping up with new developments in the field is essential for health teachers, as it is for all educators. School administrators should be urged to support such ongoing staff development by offering in service training, providing substitute teachers when necessary, and covering the costs of professional development.
Parents are largely supportive of health education.
Principals report far more positive than negative feedback about their school's health education, and teachers are far more likely to report expanded rather than restricted topic coverage due to parental feedback. Even though most schools have a policy permitting parents to exempt children from all or part of health education, very few parents actually do so. Keeping parents informed about school health education and finding ways to promote active involvement of parents and other community members in health education programs and activities continue to be important ways of fostering parent and community support. Virtually all schools have adopted some basic policies regarding school health and safety issues. Policies regarding general bullying, harassment of gay and lesbian students, and adult attendance at school-related events are less common.