Texas Administrative Code › Title 19 - EDUCATION › Part 2 - TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY › Chapter 115 - TEXAS ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS FOR HEALTH EDUCATION › Subchapter C - HIGH SCHOOL › Section 115.40 - Your Health in the Real World (One-Half Credit), Adopted 2020

Current through Reg. 49, No. 28; July 12, 2024
(a) General requirements. Students shall be
				  awarded one-half credit for successful completion of this course. This course
				  is recommended for students in Grades 9-12.
(b) Introduction.
(1) Living your best life is understanding
				  how to navigate the health care system. The objective of this course is to
				  empower students and their families to sustain or improve their quality of life
				  as it relates to their own health and the health of their community. To achieve
				  this objective, students will understand health care terminology as it relates
				  to insurance and public health. Further, students will acquire the knowledge
				  and skills needed to utilize community, state, and federal health care services
				  and related resources.
(2) 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. In addition, areas in the standards
				  related to abuse, neglect, violence, loss, grief, trauma, and suicide may
				  directly affect some students in the classroom. Should the educator recognize
				  signs of discomfort with instruction in these areas, students should be
				  referred to the appropriate resource, identified ahead of such instruction, for
				  additional help and support.
(3) An
				  integral part of health education involves educators being aware of state laws
				  relevant to human sexuality instruction. These laws include affirming:
(A) a local school district's control over
				  the provision of human sexuality instruction to ensure that local community
				  values are reflected in that instruction (Texas Education Code (TEC),
				  §28.004(e)-(h));
(B) the right
				  of a parent or legal guardian to be informed of the provision of human
				  sexuality instruction to their child and review the content of that instruction
				  (TEC, §
												28.004(i)-(j)
				  );
(C) the right of a parent or
				  legal guardian to remove their child from any portion of human sexuality
				  instruction without penalty to the child (TEC, §
												28.004(i)
				  );
(D) the centrality of abstinence
				  education in any human sexuality curriculum (TEC, §
												28.004(e)
				  ); and
(E) the right of a parent or
				  legal guardian to be informed of and consent to an abortion performed on their
				  pregnant child (with judicially authorized or medical emergency exceptions)
				  (Texas Family Code, Chapter 33).
(4) Educators also should be aware of and
				  abide by the statutory prohibition on taxpayer resource transactions between
				  state governmental entities, including public schools, and abortion providers
				  or an affiliate of an abortion provider (Texas Government Code, Chapter
				  2272).
(5) Statements containing
				  the word "including" reference content that must be mastered, while those
				  containing the phrase "such as" are intended as possible illustrative
				  examples.
(6) Students should first
				  seek guidance in the area of health from a parent or legal guardian.