GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 1989

S	2 

SENATE BILL 344*
Education Committee Substitute Adopted 4/11/89

Short Title:  Comprehensive Health Education.	(Public)
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Sponsors:
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Referred to:  
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March 6, 1989

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT TO MANDATE COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH EDUCATION IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND TO INCLUDE IN THAT CURRICULUM FAMILY LIFE EDUCATION, PREGNANCY PREVENTION EDUCATION, AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH EDUCATION.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
Section 1.  G.S. 115C-81(e) reads as rewritten:
"(e)	Comprehensive Health Education Program to Be Developed and Administered.–
(1)	A comprehensive health education program shall be developed and taught to pupils of the public schools of this State from kindergarten through twelfth grade.  
(2)	As used above, ”‘comprehensive health education' means health education in a school setting that is planned and carried out with the purpose of maintaining, reinforcing, or enhancing the health, health-related skills, and health attitudes and practices of children and youth that are conducive to their good health and that promote wellness, health maintenance, and disease prevention.  It includes age-appropriate, sequential instruction in health either as part of existing courses or as a special course.  It includes the subject matter of mental and emotional health, drug and alcohol abuse prevention, suicide prevention, nutrition, dental health, environmental health, family life education, reproductive health education, pregnancy prevention education, consumer health, disease control, growth and development, first aid and emergency care, and any like subject matter. 
(2a)	‘Family life education' means instruction intended to:
a.	Develop an understanding of the physical, mental, emotional, social, economic, and psychological aspects of close personal relationships and an understanding of the physiological, psychological, and cultural foundations of human development;
b.	Provide instruction that will support the development of responsible personal values and behavior and aid in establishing a strong family life for themselves in the future and emphasize the responsibilities of marriage;
c.	Provide instruction in sexually transmitted diseases, including instruction in the prevention of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) as required in subsection (a2);
d. 	Provide instruction as to the laws of this State relating to sexual conduct of minors, including criminal sexual conduct.
(2b)	‘Pregnancy prevention education' means instruction intended to:
a.	Stress the importance of abstaining from sexual activity until marriage;
b.	Help students develop skills to enable them to abstain from sexual intercourse, make responsible sexual decisions based on values and knowledge, and resist negative pressures;
c.	Explain methods of contraception, and the risks and benefits of each method.
(2c)	‘Reproductive health education' means instruction in human physiology, conception, prenatal care and development, childbirth, and postnatal care.
(3)	The development and administration of this program shall be the responsibility of each local school administrative unit in the State, the Department of Public Instruction, and a State Comprehensive Health Education Advisory Committee.  Each local school administrative unit shall develop a program of instruction in comprehensive health education, including family life education, pregnancy prevention education, and reproductive health education for all grades kindergarten through twelfth grade with age-appropriate content reflecting the needs of children at each grade level.  In developing the program, the local school administrative unit shall be advised by a local advisory committee appointed by the local board of education.  The local school administrative unit may use the curriculum and materials developed by the State Department of Public Instruction or the equivalent approved by the State Board of Education.
(3a)	Pursuant to policies and guidelines which shall be adopted by the local board of education, public school principals shall develop a method of notifying parents of students in the relevant grades of the content of the instructional materials concerning reproductive health, family life, pregnancy prevention, and of their option to exempt their child without penalty or embarrassment from this instruction.
(4)	Each local school administrative unit is eligible to apply for a State-funded school health coordinator.
(5)	The Department of Public Instruction shall supervise the development and operation of a statewide comprehensive health education program including curriculum development, the establishment and monitoring of expectations, goals, and outcomes, in-service training provision and promotion of collegiate training, learning material review, and assessment and evaluation of local programs. It is the intent of this legislation that a specific position or positions in the Department of Public Instruction shall be assigned responsibilities as set forth in this subsection.
(6)	A State Comprehensive Health Advisory Committee is hereby established.
a.	The committee shall provide citizen input into the operations of the program, report annually to the State Board of Education on progress in accomplishing the provisions and intent of this legislation, provide advice to the department with regard to its duties under this subsection, and encourage development of higher education programs which would benefit health education in the public schools.
b.	The committee shall meet as necessary but at least twice annually. It shall select annually a chairperson from among its own membership, each member having an equal vote and the chairperson shall appoint such subcommittees as may be necessary.  Members of the committee shall serve without compensation; however, they shall be reimbursed by the Department of Public Instruction for travel and other expenses incurred in the performance of their duties as members of the committee, to the extent that funds are appropriated for this purpose.
c.	The committee shall consist of 15 members: 10 appointed by the Governor, two by the State Board of Education, and three ex officio members: the Chief, Office of Health Education, Department of Human Resources; the Chief, State Health Planning and Development Agency, Department of Human Resources; and the Superintendent of Public Instruction, or their designees.  The Governor's appointees shall be named in the following manner: one physician from a list of three names submitted by the North Carolina Medical Society; one physician from a list of three names submitted by the North Carolina Pediatric Society; one physician from a list of three names submitted by the North Carolina Chiropractic Association; one registered nurse from a list of three names submitted by the North Carolina Nurses' Association; one dentist from a list of three names submitted by the North Carolina Dental Society; one member from a list of three names submitted by the North Carolina Medical Auxiliary; one member from a list of three names submitted by the North Carolina Congress of Parents and Teachers, Inc.; one member from a list of three names submitted by the North Carolina Association for Health, Physical Education, and Recreation; one member from a list of three names submitted by the North Carolina Public Health Association; one member from a list of three names submitted by the North Carolina College Conference on Professional Preparation in Health and Physical Education. The State Board nominees shall represent local school administrative units and shall have been recommended by the Superintendent of Public Instruction.  
d.	 The appointed members of the advisory committee shall serve for a term of three years.  Appointed members may be reappointed up to a maximum of nine years of service. Vacancies shall be filled in the same manner as original appointments for the balance of the unexpired term."
Sec. 2.  Effective when the components of the standard course of study have been fully incorporated and implemented as a part of the Basic Education Program, G.S. 115C-81(e) reads as rewritten:
	"(e) Comprehensive Health Education Program to Be Developed and Administered.
(1)	A comprehensive health education program shall be developed and taught to pupils of the public schools of this State from kindergarten through twelfth grade. 
(2)	As used above, ”‘comprehensive health education' means health education in a school setting that is planned and carried out with the purpose of maintaining, reinforcing, or enhancing the health, health-related skills, and health attitudes and practices of children and youth that are conducive to their good health and that promote wellness, health maintenance, and disease prevention. It includes age-appropriate, sequential instruction in health either as part of existing courses or as a special course. It  includes the subject matter of mental and emotional health, drug and alcohol abuse prevention, suicide prevention, nutrition, dental health, environmental health, family life education, reproductive health education, pregnancy prevention education, consumer health, disease control, growth and development, first aid and emergency care, and any like subject matter.  It also includes the subject matter of bicycle safety in geographical areas where appropriate.
(2a)	‘Family life education' means instruction intended to:
a.	Develop an understanding of the physical, mental, emotional, social, economic, and psychological aspects of close personal relationships and an understanding of the physiological, psychological, and cultural foundations of human development;
b.	Provide instruction that will support the development of responsible personal values and behavior and aid in establishing a strong family life for themselves in the future and emphasize the responsibilities of marriage;
c.	Provide instruction in sexually transmitted diseases, including instruction in the prevention of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) as required in subsection (a2);
d. 	Provide instruction as to the laws of this State relating to sexual conduct of minors, including criminal sexual conduct.
(2b)	‘Pregnancy prevention education' means instruction intended to:
a.	Stress the importance of abstaining from sexual activity until marriage;
b.	Help students develop skills to enable them to abstain from sexual intercourse, make responsible sexual decisions based on values and knowledge, and resist negative pressures;
c.	Explain methods of contraception, and the risks and benefits of each method.
(2c)	‘Reproductive health education' means instruction in human physiology, conception, prenatal care and development, childbirth, and postnatal care.
(3)	The development and administration of this program shall be the responsibility of each local school administrative unit in the State, the Department of Public Instruction, and a State Comprehensive Health Education Advisory Committee. Each local school administrative unit shall develop a program of instruction in comprehensive health education, including family life education, pregnancy prevention education, and reproductive health education for all grades kindergarten through twelfth grade with age-appropriate content reflecting the needs of children at each grade level. In developing the program, the local school administrative unit shall be advised by a local advisory committee appointed by the local board of education. The local school administrative unit may use the curriculum and materials developed by the State Department of Public Instruction or the equivalent approved by the State Board of Education.
(3a)	Pursuant to policies and guidelines which shall be adopted by the local board of education, public school principals shall develop a method of notifying parents of students in the relevant grades of the content of the instructional materials concerning reproductive health, family life, pregnancy prevention, and of their option to exempt their child without penalty or embarrassment from this instruction.
(4)	Each local school administrative unit is eligible to apply for a State-funded school health coordinator.
   The State Board of Education shall designate an impartial panel to review health education program plans submitted by local school administrative units.  Based on the panel's evaluation of the plans, the State Board of Education shall allocate State-funded school health coordinators. Where feasible, a school health coordinator shall serve more than one local school administrative unit.  
		Each person initially employed as a State-funded school health coordinator after June 30, 1987, shall have a degree in health education.
(5)	The Department of Public Instruction shall supervise the development and operation of a statewide comprehensive health education program including curriculum development, the establishment and monitoring of expectations, goals, and outcomes, in-service training provision and promotion of collegiate training, learning material review, and assessment and evaluation of local programs. It is the intent of this legislation that a specific position or positions in the Department of Public Instruction shall be assigned responsibilities as set forth in this subsection. 
(6)	A State Comprehensive Health Advisory Committee is hereby established.
a.	The committee shall provide citizen input into the operations of the program, report annually to the State Board of Education on progress in accomplishing the provisions and intent of this legislation, provide advice to the department with regard to its duties under this subsection, and encourage development of higher education programs which would benefit health education in the public schools.
b.	The committee shall meet as necessary but at least twice annually. It shall select annually a chairperson from among its own membership, each member having an equal vote and the chairperson shall appoint such subcommittees as may be necessary. Members of the committee shall serve without compensation; however, they shall be reimbursed by the Department of Public Instruction for travel and other expenses incurred in the performance of their duties as members of the committee, to the extent that funds are appropriated for this purpose.
c.	The committee shall consist of 15 members: 10 appointed by the Governor, two by the State Board of Education, and three ex officio members: the Chief, Office of Health Education, Department of Human Resources; the Chief, State Health Planning and Development Agency, Department of Human Resources; and the Superintendent of Public Instruction, or their designees. The Governor's appointees shall be named in the following manner: one physician from a list of three names submitted by the North Carolina Medical Society; one physician from a list of three names submitted by the North Carolina Pediatric Society; one physician from a list of three names submitted by the North Carolina Chiropractic Association; one registered nurse from a list of three names submitted by the North Carolina Nurses' Association; one dentist from a list of three names submitted by the North Carolina Dental Society; one member from a list of three names submitted by the North Carolina Medical Auxiliary; one member from a list of three names submitted by the North Carolina Congress of Parents and Teachers, Inc.; one member from a list of three names submitted by the North Carolina Association for Health, Physical Education, and Recreation; one member from a list of three names submitted by the North Carolina Public Health Association; one member from a list of three names submitted by the North Carolina College Conference on Professional Preparation in Health and Physical Education. The State Board nominees shall represent local school administrative units and shall have been recommended by the Superintendent of Public Instruction.  
d.	 The appointed members of the advisory committee shall serve for a term of three years. Appointed members may be reappointed up to a maximum of nine years of service. Vacancies shall be filled in the same manner as original appointments for the balance of the unexpired term."
Sec. 3.  The Department of Public Instruction shall have available for all local school administrative units an updated Comprehensive Health Education curriculum in accordance with this act by the beginning of the 1990-91 school year. All local school administrative units shall have developed and shall begin implementing the Comprehensive Health Education curriculum in accordance with this act by the beginning of the 1991-92 school year. The State Board of Education, in fulfilling its duty under this act to review and approve local curricula, shall schedule its work in such a way as to facilitate the meeting of the deadline for local school administrative units established in this section. 
Sec. 4.  Except as otherwise provided, this act is effective upon ratification.