Comprehensive Sexual Health and HIV Prevention Education in Grades 7 and 9

The California Healthy Youth Act, enacted January 1, 2016, requires school districts to provide students with integrated, comprehensive, accurate, and inclusive comprehensive sexual health education and HIV prevention education, at least once in high school and once in middle school.

In 2017, to comply with the California Healthy Youth Act as specified in Education Code Sections 51930-51939 and after careful review, research and collaborative discussions with parents, staff and administration, Rocklin Unified School District (RUSD) adopted Positive Prevention Plus (2016 Edition).

While our District has provided this instruction in grades 7 and 9, the materials previously used in our schools were last updated in 2006 and beyond being outdated, they relied on old technology. The California Healthy Youth Act includes the following changes: new language covering adolescent relationship abuse and sex trafficking; reinforces healthy attitudes, behaviors and relationships; strengthens previous requirements that materials be age appropriate for students of all sexual orientations and genders and updates existing HIV prevention education to reflect developments made in ability to treat and prevent HIV.

The purpose of the California Healthy Youth Act is to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to:

• Protect their sexual and reproductive health from HIV and other sexually transmitted infections and from unintended pregnancy;
• Develop healthy attitudes concerning adolescent growth and development, body image, gender, sexual orientation, relationships, marriage, and family;
• Have healthy, positive, and safe relationships and behaviors;
• Promote understanding of sexuality as a normal part of human development; and
• To ensure pupils receive integrated, comprehensive, accurate, and unbiased sexual health and HIV prevention instruction and provide educators with clear tools and guidance to accomplish that end.

Each year prior to providing instruction the school notifies parents/guardians of the instruction and the materials are available to preview. Parents may withdraw their student from the required comprehensive sexual health education and HIV prevention instruction, by providing a signed, written request, using a passive consent or "opt-out" policy.

Currently, our District uses the 2016 Edition of the Positive Prevention Plus curriculum which parents may preview with the following links:

7th grade Middle School 2016 Curriculum Preview

9th grade High School 2016 Curriculum Preview

Parents are also welcome to review the information on the Positive Prevention Plus website with understanding that the materials listed are from the current 2018 version. As not all components of the curriculum listed are taught in our District, we recommend contacting your students teacher with any questions.