Bring Equity to Massachusetts Public Education - Start with Health Ed.

As most of our advocates are aware, this organization is a member of the coalition that supports the Health Education Bill. The Health Education Bill will add comprehensive, age-appropriate health education to the core curriculum for all Massachusetts public schools, and ensure that young people have the information they need to make responsible decisions, prevent disease, reduce risky behaviors, and lead healthy lives. 

This bill if passed will bring much needed equity regarding health education into Massachusetts public schools. It will mandate that all schools teach the state curriculum based on the state frameworks regardless of the economic or political standards of the individual districts. Our children NEED this bill to pass. Currently, the decision is left to each district as to how to handle teaching health education. Although there is a strong curriculum at the DOE, it is not mandated that it be utilized. This curriculum may be implemented at the discretion of each district.

Many districts claim that they do not have the funds to take on another mandated curriculum. Although this is understandable, I would argue that two districts that HAVE mandated a health curriculum, Brockton and North Adams, are two of the most financially challenged in the State. They have prioritized the longterm benefits of health education and have figured out a way to fund it. In fact, the fee for the program used in Brockton runs roughly $5 per student...hardly insurmountable.

Another concern raised is the time constraints of an added curriculum. As understandable as this is, I would argue that most of the programs that I have researched are cross-curricular, guiding teachers to integrate across all curricula. This allows teachers to incorporate activities from each lesson that strengthen skills in another discipline while tapping differing modes of learning.

The Health Education Bill has reached a critical stage in the Massachusetts Legislature - the Joint Committee on Education will decide very soon whether or not the bill will move forward this year. Please contact your legislators today and ask that they urge the Education Committee to vote in favor of the Health Education Bill. Follow the link to find out how to reach your Representative and Senator. Follow this link for a sample letter that you can send to tell them to move this bill forward.  Use your voice for Health Education!
Health_Ed_Bill_Sample_Letter.doc