Arizona

Arizona is seeking to increase the percentage of schools that address all of the following in a required course taught during grades 9, 10, 11, or 12:

• The relationship among HIV, other STDs, and pregnancy.
• The relationship between alcohol and other drug use and risk for HIV, other STDs, and pregnancy.
• The benefits of being sexually abstinent.
• How to prevent HIV, other STDs, and pregnancy.
• How to access valid and reliable health information, products, and services related to HIV, other STDs, and pregnancy.
• The influences of media, family, and social and cultural norms on sexual behavior.
• Communication and negotiation skills related to eliminating or reducing risk for HIV, other STDs, and pregnancy.
• Goal setting and decision making skills related to eliminating or reducing risk for HIV, other STDs, and pregnancy.

Activities

• Meet quarterly with HIV Material Review Committee to review HIV, STD, sexual health, and pregnancy prevention resources to assist schools in using medically accurate teaching materials that meet state and federal guidelines.
• Administer the 2010 School Health Profiles survey to a random sample of Arizona middle and high schools to assess school-level programs and policies.
• Provide statewide professional development workshops to school staff on policy guidance and characteristics of educational approaches and methods that create effective sexual health and HIV and STD prevention education.
• Provide HIV curriculum trainings using research-based programs and strategies that reduce adolescent HIV infection, STDs, and pregnancy.

Arizona is seeking to increase the percentage of schools that provide parents and families health information to increase parent and family knowledge of HIV prevention, STD prevention, and teen pregnancy prevention.

Activities

• Provide opportunities for parents, caregivers, families, and community members to increase their knowledge and develop skills in communicating with youth about HIV, STDs, sexual health, and other sensitive issues.
• Work with schools to provide a facilitated parent meeting addressing parent-child communication about HIV/STD, sexual health and other sensitive issues.
• Provide schools with resources for distribution to families and community members to increase their knowledge of HIV/STD/teen pregnancy and other sexual health issues.

Arizona is seeking to increase the percentage of schools that have a policy or policies that address all of the following issues:

• Attendance of students with HIV infection.
• Procedures to protect HIV-infected students and staff from discrimination.
• Maintaining confidentiality of HIV-infected students and staff.

Activities

• Create a new model HIV policy for use by schools in Arizona.
• Develop a HIV communication plan that includes identification of stakeholders, involvement of the HIV Advisory Council, and resource development.
• Disseminate materials that address laws and policies on maintaining confidentiality of children living with HIV and protecting them from discrimination, the implementation of HIV/STD/ sexual health programs in Arizona’s schools, and the use of universal precautions to prevent the transmission of blood borne pathogens.

Physical Activity

Arizona is seeking to increase the percentage of schools in which at least one physical education teacher or specialist received professional development on physical education during the past 2 years.

Activities

• Disseminate revised physical education and health education standards.
• Assist schools in implementing the new standards and provide guidance to teachers in cross-curriculum integration.
• Provide regional follow-up support professional development events focused on increasing stakeholder knowledge of the revised standards, creating developmentally appropriate instruction for all students, evaluating current curriculum for alignment, and incorporating proper assessment of learning outcomes into curriculum.
• Offer an annual professional development conference to administrators, teachers, and school personnel on physical activity, nutrition, and tobacco-use prevention in an effort to build the capacity of schools to expand partnerships, local wellness policy implementation, and address health disparities.

Nutrition

Arizona is seeking to increase the percentage of schools that use at least three of the following strategies anywhere in the school to promote healthy eating:

• Price nutritious food and beverage choices at a lower cost while increasing the price of less nutritious foods and beverages.
• Collect suggestions from students, families, and school staff on nutritious food preferences and strategies to promote healthy eating.
• Provide information on the nutrition and caloric content of foods available.
• Conduct taste tests to determine food preferences for nutritious items.
• Provide opportunities for students to visit the cafeteria to learn about food safety, food preparation, or other nutrition-related topics.

Activities

• Provide technical assistance and follow-up support to select school districts to develop, implement, and evaluate Local School Wellness Policies.
• Conduct an analysis of three district National School Lunch Program menus and offer remediation for improving the nutrition and caloric content of available foods and beverages.
• Provide professional development events for school personnel to reinforce messages on healthy eating, including nutrition curricula, integration of school food service, and nutrition education.
• Maintain a resource library about coordinated school health and promotion of healthy eating.
• Promote healthy eating strategies to schools and parents by disseminating resources through the resource library.

Tobacco

Arizona is seeking to increase the percentage of schools in which the lead health education teacher received professional development on tobacco-use prevention education during the past 2 years.

Activities

• Collaborate with Maricopa County Tobacco Prevention Program to provide tobacco use prevention materials in addition to nutrition education and increased physical activity messages targeted at elementary schools.
• Provide an annual professional development conference for administrators, teachers, and school personnel on physical activity, nutrition, and tobacco-use prevention in an effort to build the capacity of schools to expand partnerships, impact local wellness policy implementation, and address health disparities.
• Maintain a resource library about tobacco use prevention education and resources on Healthology and the Arizona Department of Health Services Web pages.

Arizona is seeking to increase the percentage of schools that have a group (e.g., school health team) that helps plan and implement school health programs, with representation from 10 or more of the following:

• School administrators.
• Health education teachers.
• Physical education teachers.
• Mental health or social services staff.
• Nutrition or food service staff.
• Health services staff (e.g., school nurse).
• Maintenance and transportation staff.
• Student body.
• Parents or families of students.
• Community.
• Local health departments, agencies, or organizations.
• Faith-based organizations.
• Businesses.
• Local government.

Activities

• Conduct regional Technical Assistance Project workshops to enhance local education agency and school level capacity to implement coordinated school health.
• Collaborate with the Arizona Department of Health Services Communities Putting Prevention to Work (CPPW) specialist to provide assistance to school districts in developing School Health Advisory Councils (SHACs).
• Provide assistance to school districts to implement the School Health Index and develop action plans to address identified priority areas.

Arizona is seeking to increase the percentage of schools that have ever assessed their policies, activities, and programs by using the School Health Index or a similar self-assessment tool in any of the following areas:

• Physical activity.
• Nutrition.
• Tobacco-use prevention.

Activities

• Provide technical assistance and follow-up support to local education agencies and school districts in the implementation of the School Health Index development of action plans.
• Conduct professional development events to help schools identify strengths and weaknesses of physical activity, healthy eating, and tobacco policies and programs to improve student health.
• Market the School Health Index at all professional development events, health education and physical education standard trainings, and through Arizona's Web-based communication network, Healthology.

Arizona is seeking to increase the percentage of schools that provide parents and families health information to increase parent and family knowledge of any of the following health issues:

• Tobacco-use prevention.
• Physical activity.
• Nutrition and healthy eating.

Activities

• Provide resources and materials for the development of a school-based theatrical production with a focus on physical activity, nutrition and tobacco messages targeted to elementary students.
• Collaborate with the Arizona Parent Teacher Association to assist schools in providing parents and families with health information to increase their knowledge of physical activity, nutrition, and tobacco-use prevention issues as they relate to coordinated school health.
• Participate in community events that will provide parents and families with health information on physical activity, healthy eating, and tobacco-use prevention and promotes the Arizona's Web-based communication network, Healthology.