Comprehensive Health Education Program

The Comprehensive Health Education Act was enacted in 1988 to ensure that South Carolina students receive an age-appropriate, comprehensive, education program developed with community control in compliance with the provisions of the law. Comprehensive health education encompasses all aspects of a young person's life. Included are, among other things: skills, attitudes, and practices of children and youth that are conducive to their good health and that promote wellness, health maintenance, and disease prevention. The State Board of Education approved the South Carolina Academic Standards for Health and Safety Education on July 8, 2009. These standards provide the scope and sequence for age-appropriate comprehensive health education.

The Comprehensive Health Education Act was amended in 2014 to include Erin’s Law and the State Board of Education approved grade level instructional units for the 2014 legislation, Erin’s Law (Act 293). These materials are offered as optional resources that schools and districts may choose to use. The 2014 amendment to the Comprehensive Health Education Act requires that all schools provide instruction in sexual abuse and sexual assault prevention during the academic calendar year to students in grades PreK-12th grade. The law can be accessed at: SC Comprehensive Health Ed.

Health Education Materials

Elementary:
1. Second Step (Erin's Law) http://www.secondstep.org/child-protection

Middle School:
1. Healthy Futures - (Erin's Law and CHE) - http://healthy-futures.org/relationship-education
2. Second Step (Erin's Law)

High School:
1. Online Physical Education course, Grades 10th-12th (Publisher: Fuel Education) 
2. Grade 9: Love Notes (Erin's Law and CHE) - https://www.dibbleinstitute.org/love-notes-2

Comprehensive Health Education – Erin’s Law

Section 59-32-20(B) of the South Carolina Code of Laws was amended in June 2014 (H.4061, Act 293) to read that the State Board of Education through the S.C. Department of Education “shall select or develop instructional units in sexual abuse and assault awareness and prevention, with separate units appropriate for each age level from four-year-old kindergarten through twelfth grade.” Relating to the requirement that local school districts implement the comprehensive health education program, among other things, Section 59-32-30(G) was amended so as to provide that “beginning with the 2015–2016 school year, districts annually shall provide age-appropriate instruction in sexual abuse and assault awareness and prevention to all students in four-year-old kindergarten, where offered, through twelfth grade. This instruction must be based on the units developed by the board, through the department, pursuant to Section 59-32-20(B).”

On August 12, the State Board of Education approved a resource guide of instructional units. The guide and instructional units are offered to districts as a supplemental resource for the district’s curriculum to provide age-appropriate instruction in sexual abuse and assault awareness and prevention. If your district is interested in learning more about these instructional materials, please attend one of the professional learning opportunities provided regionally this fall.The delivery of sexual abuse and sexual assault prevention instruction will be discussed. The training dates and registration will be made available through district instructional leaders and the local district’s contact person for health and physical education.

4K-Grade 5:
Second Step curriculum is taught by elementary guidance counselors and classroom teachers.

Grades 6-8:
Healthy Futures is taught by physical education teachers. Second Step (Erin's Law).

Grade 9:
Love Notes curriculum taught by physical education teachers.

Grades 10-12:
The curriculum will be implemented using It’s Learning software. This will allow for the inclusion of all students regardless of schedule/RDA participation. The video is created by Connect.

ADDITIONAL MATERIALS TO SUPPORT HEALTH TEXTBOOKS AND STANDARDS

Substance abuse

  • American Heart Association Materials and Red Ribbon Week Materials

  • Substance use-Comprehensive Health-Apex Program (Grade 9)

Nutrition

  • Discussion with examples of healthy/unhealthy foods and other familiar substances, also healthy/unhealthy behaviors ie. risky/unsafe situations (Kindergarten)

  • Health topics included can be found within the Harcourt Health and Fitness Curriculum

Disease Prevention

  • Spark Curriculum, American Heart Association (materials and lesson plans on preventing heart disease) (Grade K-8)

  • Comprehensive Health-Apex Program, Personal Fitness Book (Grade 9)

Dental Health

  • Healthy Smiles of Spartanburg - Provides dental education and free dental screenings

Injury and Safety

Fitness 

  • South Carolina FitnessGram Project – (FITNESSGRAM/ President’s Youth Fitness Program Human Kinetics Online Education Center)

  • Injury and safety 

COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH SUPPORT DOCUMENTS AND RESOURCES

South Carolina Grade Level Health and Safety Education Curriculum Guidelines

The South Carolina Grade Level Health and Safety Education Curriculum Guidelines are aligned to the 2017 Standards document. The guide contains essential questions, teaching activities, and assessment strategies that address performance indicators within the standards.

South Carolina Academic Standards for Health and Safety
http://ed.sc.gov/instruction/standards-learning/health-education/standards/

South Carolina Academic Standards for Physical Education Grades kindergarten-12th http://ed.sc.gov/scdoe/assets/File/instruction/standards/PE/2014AcademicStandardsforPhysicalEducation.pdf

Coordinated School Health Framework
Below are links to tools and resources to assist district and school staff, faculty, parents, and students to assess, plan, and implement effective school health programs using a coordinated school health framework.

SchoolHealth Index 
HealthEducation Curriculum Analysis Tool (HECAT) 
PhysicalEducation Curriculum Analysis Tool (PECAT)

Erin’s Law Instructional Resources
The2014 “Erin’s Law” amendment to the Comprehensive Health Act requires grades K-12 instruction in the prevention of child sexual abuse. The instructional resources below have suggested teaching activities that are aligned with health education standards.

Erin’s Law Memorandum (Released July 25, 2016)
South Carolina Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, and ChildAdvocacy Center Programs
Additional Erin's Law Instructional Resources

Resource to Support Mandatory Reporting–
District’s Staff and Attorney
Safe Schools Mandatory Child Abuse Reporting


Comprehensive health education is required for all students in kindergarten through 9th grades. South Carolina has specific requirements for health education based on the Comprehensive Health Education Act of 1988. Required topics vary by grade level but should include the following:

  • community health

  • consumer health

  • environmental health

  • growth and development

  • nutritional health

  • personal health

  • prevention and control of diseases and disorders

  • safety and accident prevention

  • substance use and abuse

  • dental health

  • mental and emotional health.

  • sexually transmitted diseases (middle and high school)

  • reproductive health education (middle and high school)

  • domestic violence (middle and high school)

  • At the discretion of the local board, instruction in family life education or pregnancy prevention education or both may be included, but instruction in these subjects may not include an explanation of the methods of contraception before the sixth grade.

  • CPR and Automated External Defibrillator (AED) for high school

 To assist in the selection of components and curriculum materials for reproductive health education, family life education, and pregnancy prevention education, each local school board shall appoint a thirteen-member local comprehensive advisory committee consisting of two parents, three clergy, two health professionals, two teachers, two students, one being the president of the student body of a high school, and two other persons not employed by the local school district.

SPARK Physical Education PE Programs grades 4K- 8th has Research-Based curriculum, training & equipment

http://www.sparkpe.org/physical-education/k-2/

SC Academic Standards for Physical Education 2014
Elementary & Secondary Curriculum Guidelines 2013
Certified PE teacher(s) for all elementary and secondary schools -Physical Education
Elementary Schools – Required minimum for each student:
60 minutes weekly of Physical Education
90 minutes weekly of Physical Activity
Middle Schools – Required minimum for each student - nine weeks, grades 6-8
High School – one High School Credit