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Is
HIV/AIDS prevention education required in Missouri's schools?
Yes. The Missouri School Improvement Program (MSIP) adopted by the Missouri
State Board of Education in 1993, and revised in 1997, requires that schools
provide comprehensive health instruction, including tobacco, alcohol, and other
drug prevention and HIV/AIDS prevention education, as follows:
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Each
elementary student must receive regular instruction.
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Each
junior high/middle school student must receive a minimum of 1,500 minutes of
instruction each year.
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Each
high school must offer a minimum of 0.5 unit of credit for graduation.
Does
this mean HIV/AIDS education must be provided for primary-age elementary
students?
Yes. However, HIV/AIDS prevention education taught within the context of
comprehensive health instruction will include developmentally-appropriate
messages and skill development for learning how to take care of the body. For
example, AIDS prevention for primary-age students may focus on acquiring good
personal habits that prevent the spread of disease.
Are
there requirements for the content of AIDS education and the amount of
instruction provided by school districts?
No. Local school districts determine the amount and content of AIDS prevention
education provided. Guidance is provided in Missouri’s
Framework for Curriculum Development in Health Education and Physical Education
(Healthy, Active Living) K-12.
Would
an assembly meet the requirement?
Yes. However, evidence from effective HIV/AIDS prevention education suggests
that an assembly by itself will not reduce risk behaviors of students.
What
evidence exists that school-based HIV/AIDS prevention education works?
A review by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of 23
school-based programs found that some, but not all, were effective in reducing
sexual risk behaviors among school-age youth. Effective programs produced one or
more of the following:
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delayed
initiation of sexual intercourse
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reduced
frequency of intercourse
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reduced
number of sexual partners, or
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increased
use of condoms or other contraceptives.
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No
programs produced an increase in sexual activity among students.
Programs
that were effective shared the following characteristics:
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Curricula
were based on social learning or social influence theories.
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Each
focused on reducing specific sexual risk-taking behaviors that may lead to
HIV infection, other STDs, or unintended pregnancy.
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Basic,
accurate information about the risks of unprotected sex and how to avoid the
risks were presented using experiential activities which personalized the
information for students.
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Instruction
included activities for handling social or media influences and pressures on
sexual behaviors.
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Individual
values and group norms against unprotected sex were reinforced in
developmentally-appropriate ways.
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Communication
and negotiation skills were modeled and practiced and efforts were made to
increase student confidence to use the skills.
Programs
that were ineffective covered a broader array of topics and were less focused on
specific risk behaviors for HIV/STD infection and unintended pregnancy.
Ineffective programs did not help students apply information and skills to a
clear set of values and norms for avoiding unwanted or unprotected sexual
intercourse.
Source:
"School-Based Programs to Reduce Sexual Risk Behaviors: A Review of
Effectiveness," Public Health
Reports. May-June 1994, Vol. 109, No. 3, pp. 339-359.
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