Gwinnett County Public Schools does not have an official curriculum that supports a comprehensive K-12 health education program. Choose the Best has been the standard curriculum for only sex education curricula for middle and high school students for the past 20 years. Currently, The Gwinnet County School Board is evaluating the adoption of a pilot program called HealthSmart. Health itself is a crucial skill that everyone uses, and this class allows students to practice real life skills in a safe learning environment. The focus of the HealthSmart curriculum is a skills-based approach. The instructional resource highlights three advantages that the program would bring into our health classrooms. It is crucial now more than ever to show support regarding the health pilot and the positive impact this resource would have in our schools.

First, HealthSmart is a comprehensive program. A comprehensive program, "…addresses the physical, social, and emotional aspects of health (the health of the whole child)…" and where "…lessons should be age-appropriate, scientifically accurate, and taught at every grade level" (Action For Healthy Kids, 2023). HealthSmart provides teachers with so many helpful tools, such as detailed and scripted lesson plans that are aligned to quality-plus teaching strategies. There are also student workbooks that are available in print or digitally that allow teachers to assess each student's learning progression. Specifically, great success has been found with the resources 'table-talks' which encourages students to extend their learning and engage with their families at home. Parents are also welcomed to preview what materials will be taught and can opt-out or ask questions about any sensitively felt topics they like. HealthSmart is a research-informed program supported by the  CDC's Characteristics of Effective Health Education Curricula (2015) and Health Education Curriculum Analysis Tool (2021) that is recommended by experts in the health education field (Donelly et al, 2021). Research-informed programs are inclusive so that school districts have the flexibility to choose what lessons best support and reflect their student population needs. Parents are a child's first teacher, which means parental influence can have a significant impact on a child's health and learning. Building a positive connection between a child's learning at home and school is of great urgency as the Youth Risk Behavior Survey has indicated that mental health, various types of violence, and other risky behaviors have been worsening since before the pandemic started (CDC, 2023). In fact, family and community that engage with their children learning in health education leads to greater academic success and more positive mental health and social life outcomes (CDC, 2022).

Second, the lessons are constructed in a way that prompts students to interact and communicate with each other. It is a state requirement that students receive 90 instructional hours of health education in elementary school and receive one credit of health education between middle and high school (Georgia Department of Education, 2019). HealthSmart teaches a variety of important health skills and youth risk behaviors that are aligned with the National Health Education Standards and AKS standards that meet these requirements.

Skills:

-Analyzing influential factors of health
-Accessing valid and reliable health information
-Demonstrating skills of interpersonal communication
-Demonstrating skills of decision-making
-Demonstrating skills of goal-setting
-Demonstrating skills of self-management to enhance health and reduce risk behaviors
-Advocating for personal, family, and community health

Youth Risk Behaviors:

Behaviors that contribute to unintentional injuries and violence
Sexual behaviors that contribute to unintended pregnancy and STDs, including HIV
Tobacco use
Alcohol and other drug use
Unhealthy dietary behaviors
Inadequate physical activity

Currently, only 12% of the American population has proficient health literacy (Office of the Surgeon General, 2019). This means that a significant portion of Americans struggle to read, understand and apply information that is related to health decisions. Unfortunately, our students are severely impacted by health literacy issues due to a lack of consistent K-12 health education (Benes and Alperin, 2019). The HealthSmart resource lets students actively practice literacy skills through real life scenarios which elevates student engagement and knowledge retention to develop critical problem-solving skills.

Third, the lessons highlight functional health knowledge and what we need to know to apply the skills to daily living. In the last two years, there has been a 17% increase in screen time on tv, social media, and gaming among children as young as five years old and older (Rideout et al, 2021). An increase in screen time raises a concern for what type of information our youth are accessing and interpreting on a daily basis. The American Academy of Pediatrics (2015) states that the more time a young person spends on social media, the more likely they are to develop depression and resort to seeking help through sites that popularize "…substance abuse, unsafe sexual practices or aggressive or self-destructive behaviors" (p.802). It is critical now more than ever that students are equipped with information that the Department of Georgia Education (2009) states as, "To help students adopt and maintain healthy behaviors, health education should contribute directly to a student‟s ability to successfully practice behaviors that protect and promote health and avoid or reduce health risks" (p.7). The HealthSmart program creates an environment where students have more time to practice and apply functional health skills and receive timely and responsive feedback from teachers in meaningful and efficient ways.

If you support the adoption of this curriculum, please sign this petition so that we amplify the voice for our teachers, students, families, and community to the Gwinnett County School Board. Teachers and parents know that when providing instruction to the youngest minds, first impressions matter, and adoption of this comprehensive K-12 program for health education would not only provide needed resources to support instruction of the AKS, but it would also allow the benefits of the skills-based approach to build off itself year after year.