Wellness Instruction

Overview

Texas has Health curriculum standards for use in all public schools. The standards, which outline what students are to learn in each course or grade, are called Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) and are adopted by the State Board of Education. The TEKS include standards over the injury and violence prevention and safety and reproductive and sexual health strands of the new health TEKS which address the prevention of child abuse, family violence, dating violence, and sex trafficking. While all grade levels include health standards over injury and violence prevention and safety, only grades four and above include health standards over reproductive and sexual health.  

As a result of new state laws, a parent must opt their student in, in order for them to receive instruction over the prevention of child abuse, family violence, dating violence and sex trafficking, or to receive human sexual health instruction starting in grade four.