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This email is being sent to all 9th grade parents and students; however, some 9th graders may be taking this in Freshman Seminar: Health and Wellness during Fall 2021 (Semester 1) while some students will be taking the Freshman Seminar: Health and Wellness in Spring 2022 (Semester 2)

9th Grade Families:

We want to make you aware that California state law, the California Healthy Youth Act, (CHYA), requires that comprehensive sexual health education and HIV prevention education be provided to students at least once in middle school or junior high school and once in high school, starting in grade 7. Students in 9th grade will be receiving instruction (Health Smart curriculum from ETR publication) as one part of their semester-long Freshman Seminar: Health and Wellness course (depending on your child’s schedule, they may be offered this in the current fall 2021 semester or the spring 2022 semester).
Instruction site timelines may vary throughout the year, but we want to ensure that parents/guardians understand they have an opportunity to view the instructional materials and opt out of this specific CHYA instruction in writing to their school principal. Students and parents may opt out of this portion of the course (roughly 4 days) not the entire course. Students who are opting out, may have alternative, personalized assignments during this time.

For 9th graders who are enrolled in Freshman Seminar: Health and Wellness this semester, the curriculum covering the CHYA related materials will be provided by their teacher in this course. Students will engage in this material in November- December of 2021. Those students who are in Freshman Seminar: Health and Wellness in the second semester will have this material in April-March of 2022.

You may preview the materials through the Health Smart links below. If families desire a K-12 comprehensive look at the curriculum, parents can access a 30-day free trial on the Health Smart publisher website (ETR homepage) and request it.

9th Grade Resources:

9th Grade HealthSmart High School Alignment

Understanding the HealthSmart Approach to Health Education - Part 1
HealthSmart: Putting Health Ed Research into Action - Part 2
Teaching Knowledge and Skills the HealthSmart Way – Part 3
HealthSmart Curriculum Overview (Parent Access to Materials)
How to “Opt Out”

If you have questions or you feel this CHYA curriculum does not align with your family wishes, you can opt out in writing to your principal before instruction no later than October 15, 2021.

If you have any questions, or need more information around specific content or materials, please connect with your Freshman Seminar: Health and Wellness teacher and/or site administrator.

MPUSD held a districtwide Town Hall on September 16 with an update on the school year, including COVID-19 protocols, process and communication. The PowerPoint presentation and video archive is available.

Mark your calendars! Parent engagement is critical and we invite your participation and feedback at our 2021-2022 District Advisory Committee and District English Learner Advisory Committee meetings. Our District English Learner Advisory Committee serves in an advisory capacity on English learner programs and services.