Comprehensive Sexual Health Education Review & Alignment Task Force

Purpose/Goals:

• Review and gain common understanding of Washington State’s Comprehensive Sexual Health Education (CSHE) standards and requirements.
• Align current practices to new requirements.
• Selection of materials as needed.
• Create an implementation plan for aligned CSHE instruction.

Basis for Establishment:

• Per state law, all public schools must begin providing or planning to provide comprehensive sexual health education (CSHE) to all students by the 2022-23 school year. Instruction must be consistent with Health Education K-12 Learning Standards, which provide a framework for comprehensive instruction, and the provisions of RCW 28A.300.475(link is external). See also Senate Bill 5395.

Decision-Making Process:

• Review state screened, evidence-based curricula and through group consensus determine a recommendation for grades 4-12 for CSHE curriculum and instruction, in accordance with OSPI guidance.
• This is an advisory group to the superintendent.

Plan of Work:

• Establish committee norms and decision-making structures.
• Review new legislation/requirements and standards for Sexual Health.
• Review current practices, curricula and identify priorities.
• Create and use evaluation tool for reviewing curricula.
• Come to agreement on recommendation and rationale for curriculum selection for each grade band (grades 4-5, middle and high school).
• Develop recommendations by grade band and review for vertical alignment.
• Recommend specific lessons to be taught at each grade level.
• Develop recommendations for teacher professional development, parent education opportunities, and communication with families, staff and community.

Responsibilities:

• Attend meetings.
• Complete independent work between meetings.
• Act as a representative for selected group, including sharing information and collecting feedback.
• Give recommendation and rationale during consensus process.

Timeline:

• Weekly, 4 – 5:30 p.m. (4:30-6:30 p.m. for in person meetings)
• Tuesdays, March 15 – May 10
• Primarily virtual, with select meetings in person for ease of processing.
• Updated May 2022: the timeline for the task force was extended to fall 2022. Please see April 26 meeting notes for more information.
• Final meeting September 13

Budget Implications:

• Costs for compensation of certificated staff for task force participation outside of contracted day (or sub release if within contracted day), Estimate $8500, from existing DT&L budget.
• This task force will result in a recommendation that would include a budget proposal for the:
  • Purchase of curricular materials for grades 4-12, as need is determined, Amount TBD, possible ABL request.
  • Costs of professional development for teachers to support implementation, within existing DT&L budget.

Other

• Task Force will be facilitated by Christine Hagstrom, Cardea Services.
• Implementation to take place for the 2022-23 school year.