SECTION 115.27. Grades 7-8, Adopted 2020

(a) Introduction.

(1) The goal of health education is to provide instruction that allows youth to develop and sustain health-promoting behaviors throughout their lives. The understanding and application of these standards will allow students the ability to gather, interpret, and understand health information; achieve health literacy; and adapt to the ever-evolving science of health. The health education knowledge and skills should be presented to students in a positive manner to support the development of a healthy self-concept and responsible decision making. The standards will help students reinforce, foster, and apply positive character traits.

(2) There are essential skills that repeat throughout the six strands and embody the interconnection of health literacy. These skills include decision making, problem solving, goal setting, maintaining healthy relationships with self and others, seeking help and support, and recognizing various influences on health such as social, environmental, media, and genetic. These skills, developed early on and reinforced throughout a student's education, will foster mastery of health concepts. Health class educators are encouraged to partner with school counselors where available to schedule time for them to deliver classroom guidance lessons to help teach these essential competencies. In addition, areas in the standards related to abuse, neglect, violence, loss, grief, trauma, and suicide may directly affect some students in the classroom. Should the educator recognize signs of discomfort with instruction in these areas, students should be referred to the appropriate resource, identified ahead of such instruction, for additional help and support.

(3) Students gain an understanding of health information and skills through six strands: physical health and hygiene; mental health and wellness; healthy eating and physical activity; injury and violence prevention and safety; alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs; and reproductive and sexual health.

(A) Physical health and hygiene education helps to prepare students for improved lifelong health outcomes. Learning about body systems lays the foundation for personal health and hygiene. Health literacy and preventative behaviors empower students to make informed choices to support self, family, and community.

(B) The mental health and wellness strand recognizes that the knowledge and skills necessary to manage emotions, reactions, and relationships are essential to reaching one's full potential. Students gain knowledge about social and emotional health, including developing a healthy self-concept, understanding risk and protective factors, and identifying and managing mental health and wellness concerns. In the early grades, students develop fluency around emotions and self-regulation and understand the relationship between feelings, thoughts, and behavior. In subsequent grades, students learn and practice appropriate ways to solve interpersonal conflicts, work to develop a positive self-image, and develop healthy self-management skills.

(C) The healthy eating and physical activity strand addresses the importance of nutrition and physical activity to support a healthy lifestyle. Students apply critical-thinking and decision-making skills to make positive health choices. Students learn about essential nutrients, food groups, portion control, government nutritional recommendations, and the health benefits of being physically active. Students evaluate the connection between physical activity and nutrition and the prevention of chronic diseases.

(D) By focusing on injury and violence prevention and safety, the standards promote student well-being and awareness of dangerous situations. Supporting student well-being and providing instruction in digital citizenship, bullying prevention, first aid, and identification of safe and unsafe situations creates empowered and educated students who are able to make decisions that keep themselves and others safe. Beginning in Kindergarten and continuing through high school, students gain knowledge and skills to support safety and wellness at school, at home, online, and in the community.

(E) The standards under the alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs strand focus on a number of protective factors that develop empowered students who are able to make better-informed decisions, including understanding the impact of substance use on physical, mental, and social health. Through this strand, students learn key concepts about alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs, including the use, misuse, and physiological effects; short- and long-term impacts on health; treatment; risk and protective factors; and prevention. These concepts introduce healthy alternatives and ways for students to ask for and seek out help from parents and other trusted adults.

(F) Beginning in Grade 4, students learn about changes associated with adolescent development in the reproductive and sexual health strand. In subsequent grade levels, students identify the purpose of these changes and their role in fertilization and reproduction. Students learn the characteristics of healthy and unhealthy relationships and how to use communication and refusal skills to set personal boundaries in dating/romantic relationships. Students also identify how to respond to sexual harassment and abuse.

(4) An integral part of health education involves educators being aware of state laws relevant to human sexuality instruction. These laws include affirming:

(A) a local school district's control over the provision of human sexuality instruction to ensure that local community values are reflected in that instruction (Texas Education Code (TEC), §28.004(e)-(h));

(B) the right of a parent or legal guardian to be informed of the provision of human sexuality instruction to their child and review the content of that instruction (TEC, §28.004(i)-(j));

(C) the right of a parent or legal guardian to remove their child from any portion of human sexuality instruction without penalty to the child (TEC, §28.004(i));

(D) the centrality of abstinence education in any human sexuality curriculum (TEC, §28.004(e)); and

(E) the right of a parent or legal guardian to be informed of and consent to an abortion performed on their pregnant child (with judicially authorized or medical emergency exceptions) (Texas Family Code, Chapter 33).

(5) Educators also should be aware of and abide by the statutory prohibition on taxpayer resource transactions between state governmental entities, including public schools, and abortion providers or an affiliate of an abortion provider (Texas Government Code, Chapter 2272).

(6) Statements containing the word "including" reference content that must be mastered, while those containing the phrase "such as" are intended as possible illustrative examples.

(7) Students should first seek guidance in the area of health from a parent or legal guardian.

(b) Knowledge and skills.

(1) Physical health and hygiene--body systems. The student examines the structures, functions, and relationships of body systems and their relevance to personal health. The student is expected to describe the relationships among the body systems.

(2) Physical health and hygiene--personal health and hygiene. The student understands health literacy, preventative health behaviors, and how to access and evaluate health care information to make informed decisions. The student is expected to:

(A) list specific resources or facilities where members of the community can obtain medical care;

(B) explain ways to use health information to help self and others, including seizure awareness, diabetes education, and response plans such as first aid or cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR);

(C) identify barriers related to solving health problems and ways to overcome barriers; and

(D) explain the course, signs, symptoms, and treatments of vector-borne illnesses such as Lyme disease or West Nile Virus.

(3) Mental health and wellness--social and emotional health. The student identifies and applies strategies to develop socio-emotional health, self-regulation, and healthy relationships. The student is expected to:

(A) identify and analyze different emotions and causal thoughts in self;

(B) analyze the relationship between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and demonstrate healthy techniques for managing reactions in times of emotional stress;

(C) evaluate the importance of social groups and peer influences and explain how they can affect individual mental health and wellness;

(D) demonstrate perspective-taking and communication skills for building and maintaining healthy relationships and determining when and how to end unhealthy relationships;

(E) analyze similarities and differences between one's own and others' perspectives; and

(F) practice conflict resolution and mediation skills.

(4) Mental health and wellness--developing a healthy self-concept. The student develops the capacity for self-assessment and evaluation, goal setting, and decision making in order to develop a healthy self-concept. The student is expected to:

(A) describe how internal and external factors influence self-esteem;

(B) identify and develop strategies for setting long-term personal goals;

(C) create and discuss personal life goals that one wishes to achieve and consider the financial impact of graduating from high school, having a full-time job, and waiting until marriage if one plans to have children; and

(D) identify decision-making skills that promote individual, family, and community mental health.

(5) Mental health and wellness--risk and protective factors. The student recognizes the influence of various factors on mental health and wellness. The student is expected to:

(A) explain how adolescent brain development influences cognitive processing, emotions, and decision making;

(B) identify and describe how environmental influences such as air, water, or noise can affect an individual's mental health; and

(C) discuss the influence of childhood trauma and how to recognize, process, and overcome negative events.

(6) Mental health and wellness--identifying and managing mental health and wellness concerns. The student develops and uses appropriate skills to identify and manage conditions related to mental health and wellness. The student is expected to:

(A) describe methods to support others who have long-term physical health conditions;

(B) examine ways to influence peers positively and promote resiliency in others in stressful situations;

(C) differentiate between healthy and unhealthy self-management strategies for stress, anxiety, depression, trauma, loss, and grief;

(D) describe the consequences of disordered eating and eating disorders such as bulimia, anorexia, and binge eating disorder and the importance of seeking help from a parent or another trusted adult for oneself or others related to disordered eating;

(E) discuss the suicide risk and suicide protective factors identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the importance of telling a parent or another trusted adult if one observes the warning signs in self or others;

(F) research and discuss protective factors and healthy self-management strategies to avoid self-harming behaviors; and

(G) examine how the use of suicide prevention resources such as the National Suicide Prevention Hotline can reduce the likelihood of suicide.

(7) Healthy eating and physical activity--food and beverage daily recommendations. The student analyzes and applies healthy eating strategies for enhancing and maintaining personal health throughout the lifespan. The student is expected to:

(A) analyze food labels and menus to determine the nutritional value of foods and make healthy decisions about daily caloric intake;

(B) develop a personal dietary plan; and

(C) identify and practice strategies for choosing healthy foods and beverages in diverse social environments, including at home, at school, and while dining out.

(8) Healthy eating and physical activity--physical activity. The student identifies, analyzes, and applies strategies for enhancing and maintaining optimal personal physical fitness throughout the lifespan. The student is expected to:

(A) explain the relationships between nutrition, physical activity, quality of life, and disease in terms of their mental, physical, and social benefits;

(B) identify how to balance caloric intake and physical activity; and

(C) apply the CDC guidelines for daily physical activity to develop a physical fitness plan using appropriate technology.

(9) Healthy eating and physical activity--nutrition and physical activity literacy. The student obtains, processes, and understands basic physical activity and nutrition information needed to make health-promoting decisions. The student is expected to:

(A) develop and examine progress of short- and long-term goals toward achieving appropriate levels of physical activity, improving personal physical fitness level, and making healthy personal food choices; and

(B) explain how media influences buying decisions regarding physical fitness equipment or nutritional products.

(10) Healthy eating and physical activity--risk and protective factors. The student analyzes and applies risk and protective factors related to healthy eating and physical activity. The student is expected to:

(A) analyze the impact of moderate physical activity and healthy dietary practices in the prevention of obesity, heart disease, and diabetes;

(B) analyze risk factors that may lead to the development of chronic conditions and formulate strategies to reduce the likelihood of developing chronic conditions;

(C) identify community and digital resources that can assist in developing healthy eating and physical activity behaviors; and

(D) investigate and compare the nutritional differences between preparing and serving fresh food or minimally processed food and serving commercially prepared or highly processed foods.

(11) Injury and violence prevention and safety--safety skills and unintentional injury. The student identifies and demonstrates safety and first aid knowledge to prevent and treat injuries. The student is expected to demonstrate basic first-aid procedures, including CPR and the choking rescue.

(12) Injury and violence prevention and safety--healthy home, school, and community climate. The student understands that individual actions and awareness can impact safety, community, and environment. The student is expected to:

(A) analyze strategies for and the benefits of avoiding violence, gangs, weapons, and human trafficking;

(B) define safe haven and identify designated safe haven locations in the community;

(C) evaluate the dangers associated with a variety of weapons;

(D) evaluate the importance of complying with rules prohibiting possession of and the improper use of weapons; and

(E) create a personal safety plan.

(13) Injury and violence prevention and safety--digital citizenship and media. The student understands how to be a safe and responsible citizen in digital and online environments. The student is expected to:

(A) develop strategies to resist inappropriate digital and online communication such as social media posts, sending and receiving photos, sexting, and pornography;

(B) discuss and analyze the consequences resulting from inappropriate digital and online communication such as social media posts, sending and receiving photos, sexting, and pornography;

(C) evaluate strategies and techniques for identity protection in digital and online environments;

(D) identify how technology is used to recruit or manipulate potential victims of sex trafficking; and

(E) research the current legal consequences of cyberbullying and inappropriate digital and online communication.

(14) Injury and violence prevention and safety--interpersonal violence. The student understands the impact of interpersonal violence and the importance of seeking guidance and help to maintain personal safety. The student is expected to:

(A) identify forms of family violence, including physical, mental, and emotional violence;

(B) describe the serious effects of bullying, cyberbullying, or harassment such as suicidal ideation and other effects on the individual;

(C) explain the responsibility to report bullying behavior, including cyberbullying;

(D) describe the seriousness of various forms of bullying such as harassment;

(E) analyze strategies for prevention and intervention of all forms of bullying and cyberbullying such as emotional, physical, social, and sexual; and

(F) summarize the advantages of seeking advice and feedback regarding the use of decision-making and problem-solving skills related to personal safety.

(15) Alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs--use, misuse, and physiological effects. The student understands the difference between use and misuse of different substances and how the use and misuse of substances impacts health. The student is expected to:

(A) differentiate between appropriate and inappropriate use of prescription and over-the- counter drugs, including combining drugs, and the outcomes of each;

(B) identify and describe the categories of prescription drugs and their proper uses;

(C) identify and explain the importance of each component of an over-the-counter drug warning label; and

(D) describe how substance misuse and addiction to alcohol, tobacco, vaping products, drugs, and other substances, including prescription drugs, affect the body systems and brain.

(16) Alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs--short- and long-term impacts. The student identifies and analyzes the short- and long-term impacts of use and misuse of alcohol; tobacco; drugs, including prescription drugs; and other substances. The student is expected to:

(A) analyze and explain the short- and long-term health consequences of addiction to alcohol and tobacco and prescription and over-the-counter drug misuse and substance use disorders;

(B) analyze the importance of alternative activities to drug and substance use and misuse on mental and social health; and

(C) analyze the legal consequences of the use and misuse of alcohol; tobacco; drugs, including prescription drugs; and other substances.

(17) Alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs--treatment. The student recognizes and understands the options for treatment and how to seek help related to the use and misuse of alcohol; tobacco; drugs, including prescription drugs; and other substances. The student is expected to:

(A) identify and describe treatment options for substance abuse and addiction;

(B) identify signs and symptoms of alcohol; tobacco; drugs, including prescription drugs; and other substance use and misuse such as using medicine prescribed for someone else or for reasons other than intended; and

(C) identify at least one example of who, when, where, and how to get help related to the use and misuse of alcohol; tobacco; drugs, including prescription drugs; and other substances.

(18) Alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs--risk and protective factors. The student understands how various factors can influence decisions regarding substance use and the resources available for help. The student is expected to:

(A) examine the effects and role of peer influence on decision making and problem solving regarding the use and misuse of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs;

(B) examine physical and social influences on alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use behaviors;

(C) differentiate among the relationships of alcohol, tobacco, drugs, and other substances and the roles these substances play in unsafe situations such as drinking and driving; and

(D) identify support systems and describe ways to report the suspected abuse of drugs to a parent, school administrator, teacher, or another trusted adult.

(19) Alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs--prevention. The student analyzes information and applies critical-thinking skills to avoid substance use and misuse and recognizes the benefits of delayed use. The student is expected to develop and apply strategies, including demonstrating refusal skills, for avoiding alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs in various scenarios.

(20) Reproductive and sexual health--healthy relationships. The student understands the characteristics of healthy romantic relationships. The student is expected to:

(A) compare and contrast the difference between friendship, infatuation, dating/romantic relationships, and marriage;

(B) explain how friendships provide a foundation for healthy dating/romantic relationships;

(C) describe healthy ways to express friendship, affection, and love;

(D) describe appropriate and effective methods of communicating emotions in healthy dating/romantic relationships and marriage;

(E) evaluate the importance of mutual respect, trust, support, honesty, commitment, and reliability in healthy dating/romantic relationships and marriage;

(F) describe behaviors in dating/romantic relationships that enhance dignity and respect; and

(G) describe the benefits of healthy marriages, including companionship and social, emotional, financial, and health benefits.

(21) Reproductive and sexual health--personal safety, limits, and boundaries. The student understands how to set and respect personal boundaries to reduce the risk of sexual harassment, sexual abuse, and sexual assault. The student is expected to:

(A) explain that physical, emotional, and sexual abuse and exploitation are all forms of abuse;

(B) explain the social and emotional impacts of sexual harassment, sexual abuse, sexual assault, and sex trafficking;

(C) define dating violence and the characteristics of unhealthy or harmful relationships, including anger, controlling behavior, jealousy, manipulation, and isolation;

(D) identify protective strategies for avoiding unsafe situations that heighten the risk of sexual harassment, sexual abuse, sexual assault, sex trafficking, and teen dating violence;

(E) explain the importance of reporting to a parent or another trusted adult sexual harassment, sexual abuse, sexual assault, sex trafficking, and dating violence involving self or others;

(F) describe how a healthy sense of self and making decisions regarding setting and respecting personal boundaries promote healthy dating/romantic relationships;

(G) discuss and practice how refusal skills can be used to resist negative peer influences and reinforce personal boundaries to avoid dangerous situations and behaviors that increase sexual risk in dating/romantic relationships; and

(H) explain the importance of clearly communicating and respecting personal boundaries and why individuals have the right to refuse sexual contact.

(22) Reproductive and sexual health--anatomy, puberty, reproduction, and pregnancy. The student analyzes adolescent development, the process of fertilization, and healthy fetal development. The student is expected to:

(A) compare and contrast the physical, hormonal, and emotional changes in males and females that occur during puberty and adolescence;

(B) identify how the process of fertilization occurs between a man and a woman through sexual intercourse;

(C) explain significant milestones of fetal development and the harmful effects on the fetus of certain substances such as alcohol, tobacco, and prescription drugs and environmental hazards such as lead;

(D) describe the importance of telling a parent or another trusted adult, obtaining early pregnancy testing, and seeking prenatal care if signs of pregnancy occur; and

(E) define the emotional changes that may occur during and after pregnancy, including postpartum depression, and discuss resources for support and treatment.

(23) Reproductive and sexual health--sexual risk. The student understands that there are risks associated with sexual activity and that abstinence from sexual activity is the only 100% effective method to avoid risks. The student is expected to:

(A) explain how teen pregnancy is a possible outcome of sexual activity;

(B) explain the short- and long-term educational, financial, and social impacts of pregnancy on teen parents, the child, families, and society;

(C) identify the difference between bacterial and viral sexually transmitted diseases/sexually transmitted infections (STDs/STIs), including long-term or lifetime effects such as infertility and cancer;

(D) describe various modes of transmission of STDs/STIs;

(E) identify the prevalence of STDs/STIs among teens by referencing county, state, and/or federal data sources;

(F) list the signs and symptoms of STDs/STIs, including human papillomavirus (HPV), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), chlamydia, syphilis, gonorrhea, herpes, and trichomoniasis, and explain why not all STDs/STIs show symptoms initially;

(G) explain the importance of STD/STI screening, testing, and early treatment for sexually active individuals, including during yearly physicals or if there is a concern;

(H) identify community resources, a minor's right to consent under certain circumstances, and the importance of parent or other trusted adult support for STD/STI testing and treatment;

(I) identify emotional risks that can be associated with sexual activity for unmarried persons of school age, including stress, anxiety, and depression;

(J) identify support from parents and other trusted adults to be abstinent from sexual activity and create strategies for building peer support to be abstinent;

(K) analyze the importance of abstinence as the preferred choice of behavior in relationship to all sexual activity for unmarried persons of school age;

(L) analyze the effectiveness and the risks and failure rates (human-use reality rates) of barrier protection and other contraceptive methods in the prevention of STDs/STIs and pregnancy;

(M) explain that HPV vaccines can help prevent the transmission of the most common types of HPV, a virus that can cause genital warts and cervical cancer and other cancers in males and females;

(N) research and explain the benefits of abstinence from sexual activity such as increased self-esteem, self-confidence, and student academic achievement;

(O) define legal implications of teen pregnancy, including the legal effects of acknowledgement and proof of paternity;

(P) describe legal aspects of sexual activity with a minor person, including the legal age of consent, statutory rape, aggravated sexual assault, sexual assault, sexual abuse, and indecency with a child; and

(Q) examine the legal ramifications of sexual offenses such as sexual harassment, sexual abuse, and sexual assault.

Source Note: The provisions of this §115.27 adopted to be effective August 1, 2022, 46 TexReg 2756