Michigan is in the process of updating K-12 health education guidelines for the first time since 2007.
The Michigan Department of Education adopts standards that provide a framework for local school districts, but districts ultimately choose how to implement them. Topics include personal health and wellness, substance use and misuse, and mental and emotional health.
Aimee Alaniz, director of the education department's office of health and safety, told the Michigan State Board of Education that the updated guidelines focus on age-appropriate content for grade ranges, rather than particular content for each grade level. She added that the revised recommendations also emphasize health-related “practices” instead of standards.
“A standard implies that, once you reach it, you don't need to keep practicing it and strengthening it,” Alaniz said.
Alaniz said the updated guidelines are better aligned with national health education standards adopted last year. She said that Michigan used guidelines adopted by the state of Massachusetts as a template for its own revisions.
Sexual health is also included among the topics, but individual school districts decide how and whether to teach that topic with input from parents and community members, said Tecumseh Public Schools health teacher Kristalyn Musselman.
“If districts choose to offer sex education, there are safeguards in place that prioritize parent input and choice,” Musselman said. Those include allowing parents to review content ahead of time, opt their children out of that part of health education, and a community sex education advisory board that adopts curriculum at the local level.
The updated guidelines also include a “healthy relationships” category distinct from sexual health education, officials said.
The draft standards are open for public comment on the MDE website until October 10. The State Board of Education will then approve final guidelines.
