Introduction

The California Healthy Youth Act (CHYA) was signed into law by the California Governor in 2015. The legislation, which took effect on January 1, 2016, requires school districts throughout the state to provide students with comprehensive sexual health education, along with information about HIV prevention, at least once in high school and once in middle school.

Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District’s (PYLUSD) current Health Education curriculum supports the requirements of the CHYA as specified in Education Code 51930-51939, and is provided during eighth grade physical education (PE) and in ninth grade health.  Comprehensive sexual health education and HIV prevention education is aligned with the state's content standards.  California will release the new Health Framework based on the Healthy Youth Act in May of 2019.  The adoption of new Health Education instructional materials is proposed for 2021-2022 and will include input from parent focus groups as well as a pilot during the school year 2020-2021.  PYLUSD will select instructional materials under the leadership of the School Board and Superintendent with input from stakeholder groups.

Comprehensive sexual health education and HIV prevention education encourages students to communicate with parents and guardians about human sexuality. Topics in eighth grade PE and ninth grade Health will include personal safety, puberty, abstinence, pregnancy prevention, healthy relationships and decision making. CHYA requires instruction must be medically accurate, age‐appropriate and include the following specific information:

• HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), effects on the human body, including transmission, FDA approved methods to prevent HIV and STIs, and treatment
• Abstinence is the only certain way to prevent unintended pregnancy and HIV and other STIs, and information about the value of delaying sexual activity
• Social views of HIV and AIDS including addressing unfounded stereotypes and myths
• Accessing resources for sexual and reproductive health care
• Pregnancy, including FDA approved prevention methods, pregnancy outcomes, prenatal care, and the newborn safe surrender law
• Sexual orientation and gender, including the harm of negative gender stereotypes
• Healthy relationships and avoiding unhealthy behaviors and situations including sexual harassment, sexual assault, adolescent relationship abuse, intimate partner violence, and sex trafficking

The District’s Health Education instructional materials will be available from your student’s PE or health teacher for your review. If you have any questions about PE or health curriculum, please speak with your student’s teacher or site principal. For additional information about the CHYA, please visit our FAQs web page.

PYLUSD works in partnership with our families and respects the rights of parents/guardians to supervise their children's education on these subjects. State law allows you to remove your student from all or part of sexual health and HIV prevention education. If you do not want your student to participate in comprehensive sexual health or HIV prevention education, please submit a written request to your child’s PE or health teacher. 

• VIH y otras infecciones de transmisión sexual (ITS), efectos en el cuerpo humano, incluyendo transmisión, métodos aprobados por la FDA para prevenir el VIH y Enfermedades de Transmisión Sexual y tratamiento.
• La abstinencia es la única forma segura de prevenir embarazos no deseados, VIH y otras Enfermedades de Transmisión Sexual, e información acerca del valor de retrasar la actividad sexual.
• Vista social del VIH y SIDA, incluyendo la consideración de estereotipos y mitos infundados
• Acceso a recursos para la atención de salud sexual y reproductiva.
• Embarazo, incluyendo métodos de prevención aprobados por la FDA, resultado de embarazos, atención prenatal y ley de abandono de un recién nacido.
• Orientación sexual y género, incluido el daño de estereotipos de género negativos.
• Relaciones sanas y evitando comportamientos y situaciones poco saludables, que incluyen acoso sexual, agresión sexual, abuso en las relaciones de adolescentes, violencia en la pareja y tráfico sexual.