Texas Administrative Code › Title 19 - EDUCATION › Part 2 - TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY › Chapter 115 - TEXAS ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS FOR HEALTH EDUCATION › Subchapter A - ELEMENTARY › Section 115.12 - Health Education, Kindergarten, Adopted 2020

Current through Reg. 49, No. 28; July 12, 2024
(a) Introduction.
(1) The goal of health education is to
				  provide instruction that allows youth to develop and sustain health-promoting
				  behaviors throughout their lives. The understanding and application of these
				  standards will allow students the ability to gather, interpret, and understand
				  health information; achieve health literacy; and adapt to the ever-evolving
				  science of health. The health education knowledge and skills should be
				  presented to students in a positive manner to support the development of a
				  healthy self-concept and responsible decision making. The standards will help
				  students reinforce, foster, and apply positive character traits.
(2) There are essential skills that repeat
				  throughout the five strands and embody the interconnection of health literacy.
				  These skills include decision making, problem solving, goal setting,
				  maintaining healthy relationships with self and others, seeking help and
				  support, and recognizing various influences on health such as social,
				  environmental, media, and genetic. These skills, developed early on and
				  reinforced throughout a student's education, will foster mastery of health
				  concepts. Health class educators are encouraged to partner with school
				  counselors where available to schedule time for them to deliver classroom
				  guidance lessons to help teach these essential competencies.
(3) In Kindergarten-Grade 3, students gain an
				  understanding of health information and skills through five strands: physical
				  health and hygiene; mental health and wellness; healthy eating and physical
				  activity; injury and violence prevention and safety; and alcohol, tobacco, and
				  other drugs.
(A) Physical health and hygiene
				  education helps to prepare students for improved lifelong health outcomes.
				  Learning about body systems lays the foundation for personal health and
				  hygiene. Health literacy and preventative behaviors empower students to make
				  informed choices to support self, family, and community.
(B) The mental health and wellness strand
				  recognizes that the knowledge and skills necessary to manage emotions,
				  reactions, and relationships are essential to reaching one's full potential.
				  Students gain knowledge about social and emotional health, including developing
				  a healthy self-concept, understanding risk and protective factors, and
				  identifying and managing mental health and wellness concerns. In the early
				  grades, students develop fluency around emotions and self-regulation and
				  understand the relationship between feelings, thoughts, and behavior. In
				  subsequent grades, students learn and practice appropriate ways to solve
				  interpersonal conflicts, work to develop a positive self-image, and develop
				  healthy self-management skills.
(C)
				  The healthy eating and physical activity strand addresses the importance of
				  nutrition and physical activity to support a healthy lifestyle. Students apply
				  critical-thinking and decision-making skills to make positive health choices.
				  Students learn about essential nutrients, food groups, portion control,
				  government nutritional recommendations, and the health benefits of being
				  physically active. Students evaluate the connection between physical activity
				  and nutrition and the prevention of chronic diseases.
(D) By focusing on injury and violence
				  prevention and safety, the standards promote student well-being and awareness
				  of dangerous situations. Supporting student well-being and providing
				  instruction in digital citizenship, bullying prevention, first aid, and
				  identification of safe and unsafe situations creates empowered and educated
				  students who are able to make decisions that keep themselves and others safe.
				  Beginning in Kindergarten and continuing through high school, students gain
				  knowledge and skills to support safety and wellness at school, at home, online,
				  and in the community.
(E) The
				  standards under the alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs strand focus on a number
				  of protective factors that develop empowered students who are able to make
				  better-informed decisions, including understanding the impact of substance use
				  on physical, mental, and social health. Through this strand, students learn key
				  concepts about alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs, including the use, misuse,
				  and physiological effects; short- and long-term impacts on health; treatment;
				  risk and protective factors; and prevention. These concepts introduce healthy
				  alternatives and ways for students to ask for and seek out help from parents
				  and other trusted adults.
(4) Statements containing the word
				  "including" reference content that must be mastered, while those containing the
				  phrase "such as" are intended as possible illustrative examples.
(5) Students should first seek guidance in
				  the area of health from a parent or legal guardian.