Silence is Not Golden: State Initiative Develops Stronger Health Programs

Peninsula prides itself on preparing students for college and beyond. Yet, a critical component is missing from Peninsula’s curriculum: sexual health awareness. The lack of a stand-alone health program at school puts students at a disadvantage since they are not as knowledgeable on this topic as they should be after they graduate.

In health classes, students learn a variety of lessons that differ from other academic subjects offered on campus. Although biology class teaches about the mechanics of the human body, students in health can learn how to conduct themselves in situations involving alcohol, drugs and interpersonal relations. The probability of students encountering these situations increases in college. Health class teaches students lessons not available anywhere else.

“I am a big believer in health education,” school nurse Wendy Keller said. “I do feel that we are lacking in some fundamentals and it should be reinstated.”

One of the fundamentals missing is sex education. For example, in October 2015 Governor Jerry Brown passed a bill that requires all California high school health classes to teach about affirmative consent. The “Yes Means Yes” law offers legal and moral guidance for students. According to USA Today, the law states that each party must give a clear and definite affirmative answer before engaging in sexual relations. By having lessons about affirmative consent in high school, students will be able to deal more easily in college with the issue, should it arise. However, because Peninsula does not offer a health class, this vital piece of education does not reach the student body.

“We take the health curriculum and input it into different components of our educational curriculum. We call it cross-curricular planning,” principal Mitzi Cress said. “We pride ourselves in being highly compliant and jumping on laws immediately.”

To address deficiencies, a new sexual health education curriculum became mandatory on Jan.1, 2016 for California public school students in grades seven through 12. The new curriculum requires education in sexual harassment, sexual assault, adolescent relationship abuse, intimate partner violence and sex trafficking. Teaching these topics in high school would be a better alternative to teaching it in middle school, because high schoolers ostensibly get more exposure to drugs and sex. Knowing how to handle these issues would make students more likely to make rational choices as they venture into the real world.

“I remember doing a short unit on HIV, but that is all I remember regarding sexual health or health at all during my four years at Peninsula,” senior Abagaaz Sherfa said. “Especially with the crazy college life that many people will get into, having a strong sexual health program or class will make a difference in how we look at the world, and what choices we make in the future.”

As of now, biology class contains a unit on HIV awareness while English courses tie various aspects of health education into their classes. For example, English teachers discuss safe relationships with students when teaching “Romeo and Juliet,” and later discuss the dangers of alcohol during “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.”

For example, when health class was offered on campus during freshman year, students were prepared earlier for what lies ahead. Discussing alcohol in junior year, when many students on campus may have already been exposed to it, seems too late. A unit on HIV and sporadic lectures from an English teacher do not emphasize the importance of sexual health enough.

Regarding sexual health discussions in English classes, “Sometimes [these] conversations evolve naturally,” Bruce Colin, head of the English department, said. “I think that it is not unusual for teachers to have those conversations with students.”

Yet, this conversation does not always come up organically.

“Throughout high school, I always participated in literary discussions, and I do not remember a time when the topic of sexual health safety came up,” senior Leah Whang said. “I would remember if we did, because it would have given valuable information regarding sexual health safety.”

With the new “Yes Means Yes” law being put into effect, partners will be expected to understand what mutual consent is so that boundaries are clear.

“A health class is a good thing to have in high school because it starts a lot of dialogue,” Keller said. “I know there are certain things that I have in my office that start a genuine but hard conversation.”