PARENT NOTIFICATION OF HEALTH EDUCATION INSTRUCTION

In accordance with Senate Bill 9 House Bill 1525 and the Texas Education Code, Sec. 28.004, Katy ISD is required to inform the parent/guardian of each student enrolled in the district of the intent to offer Human Sexuality Instruction (HSI) and instruction on Abuse and Violence Prevention (AVP).

Under Texas statute, school districts must obtain written parental consent prior to providing instruction on these lessons. In accordance with state law, parents and guardians have the right to review all curriculum materials used for instruction on human sexuality and abuse and violence prevention.

At least 14 days prior to the instruction, the district will share information regarding how to review the curriculum, dates of the scheduled lessons, and the procedure to give written parental consent. Students who do not have parental consent will be provided alternative lessons and will not be subject to disciplinary or academic penalties.

The Katy ISD curriculum has been adopted by the Board of Trustees with the recommendation of the School Health Advisory Council (SHAC). All lessons are aligned with the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) and meet the state's mandated requirements. Texas Health Skills for Middle School and Texas Health Skills for High School by Goodheart-Wilcox and curated resources were used to develop the Katy ISD approved curriculum materials. The content of the curriculum and the timeframe for instruction are as follows:

Elementary School (Grades 4-5)
Human Growth and Development Instruction: Human growth and development instruction will be provided in physical education class during the spring. Students will learn about developmental changes that are a normal part of growing up.

Junior High (Grades 6-8)
Human Growth and Development Instruction: Students enrolled in PE or Athletics will receive instruction via a self-paced canvas course on human growth and development, including puberty, personal hygiene, abuse prevention, and disease prevention during the sixth six weeks.

High School
Students enrolled in high school health will receive instruction via a self-paced canvas course on human sexuality and abuse and violence prevention during the sixth six weeks for students earning credit in the spring. Topics covered include puberty and adolescent development, personal hygiene, dating violence, sex trafficking, abstinence, and prevention of communicable and non-communicable diseases.

If you are interested in serving on the School Health Advisory Council (SHAC) and making recommendations about the curriculum used to teach these lessons, please visit the Katy ISD School Health Advisory Council (SHAC) webpage for more information.

If you have concerns or require further assistance, please follow the guidelines outlined in Board Policy FNG(LOCAL).