Health education is one of eight components of a coordinated school health plan. A strong, comprehensive health education program in grades K-12 helps students achieve their highest potential as they grow into healthy, confident and competent individuals. SHAC works with the district to help students, families and communities learn the skills and knowledge needed to lead healthy lives.

What does a Comprehensive Health Education Program include?

• Planned, sequential, K-12 curriculum that addresses the physical, mental, emotional and social dimensions of health.
• Curriculum designed to motivate and assist students to maintain and improve their health, prevent disease, and reduce health-related risk behaviors.
• Opportunities for students to develop and demonstrate increasingly sophisticated health-related knowledge, attitudes, skills, and practices.
• Qualified, trained teachers to provide health education.

What is required by law for health education?

• By September 2007 elementary schools must be trained in and implement a coordinated school health curriculum (EHAB legal).
• Secondary school students must have one half credit of TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills) based health education to graduate.

Texas School for the Deaf has adopted the following health textbooks. 

High School - https://www.g-wonlinetextbooks.com/texas-health-skills-high-school-2023/

Middle School - https://www.g-w.com/tx-health-skills-ms-2023

Sexuality Education - https://www.livingwellaware.com/325552_2 and https://www.livingwellaware.com/364343_2

Resources:

Alcohol and Drugs

Evidence-based Prescription Drug Awareness Programs

Evidence-based Programs for Alcohol Awareness  

Office of National Drug Control Policy (outside source)

Nutrition

Choose My Plate.gov  (outside source)  

Dietary Guidelines (outside source)

Square Meals (outside source)

Additional School Health Related Links 

Adolescent and School Health Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (outside sources)

Local School Health Advisory Council (SHAC) and Health Education Instruction (TEC) (outside source)

National Health Education Standards PreK-12 (outside source)

Parenting and Paternity Awareness (outside source)

Texas School Health Advisory Council (TSHAC) (outside source)

Texas Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) (outside source)

Agencies and Organizations

Society of Health and Physical Educators (SHAPE) (outside source)

Texas Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (TAHPERD) (outside source)

Texas Department of Agriculture (outside source)  

Texas Department of State Health Services (outside source)

American Academy of Pediatrics http://www.aap.org

The National Network for Immunization Information http://www.immunizationinfo.org/

Kids Count http://www.aecf.org/kidscount

Resources about HIV and AIDS

This document provides you with information on Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) Prevention Resources  (PDF, 88KB).

This page provides Instructional Materials (PDF, 626KB) about HIV and AIDS.

Relating to the Care of Elementary and Secondary School Students with Diabetes

House Bill (HB) 984 (79^th Legislature) amends the Health and Safety Code by adding Chapter 168, Care of Students with Diabetes. This chapter requires school personnel to be trained on diabetes and its management to include hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia.

Students with Diabetes Related Links 

The following links provide information on diabetes:

American Diabetes Association (outside source)

Center for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention-Diabetes Public Health Resources (outside source)

Guidelines for Training School Employees Who Are Not Licensed Healthcare Professionals (outside source)

Health and Safety Code, Subtitle H, Chapter 168, Care of Students with Diabetes (outside source)

Texas Diabetes Council (outside source)

Texas Risk Assessment for Type 2 Diabetes in Children (outside source)

Implementation Guide