HIV, STD, and Unintended Pregnancy Prevention |
Vermont is seeking to increase the percentage of schools
that address all of the following in a required course taught during grades 6, 7, or 8:
- The differences between HIV and AIDS.
- How HIV and other STDs are transmitted.
- How HIV and other STDs are diagnosed and treated.
- Health consequences of 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.
- Compassion for persons living with HIV or AIDS.
Activities
- Increase the number of classrooms using evidence-based interventions through
professional development opportunities for educators, provision of technical assistance,
and follow-up activities.
- Collaborate with Vermont Cares to publish a video resource for schools that
showcases Vermont residents living with HIV to be distributed widely through secondary
schools and which includes a discussion guide for teachers.
- Complete the Youth Drama Initiative Project, providing secondary schools with a
script for a 30-minute play titled Sex TV, an accompanying video, and a discussion
guide embedded with many of the required HIV course elements in a creative way that appeals
to youth.
Vermont is seeking to increase the percentage of schools in
which the lead health education teacher received professional development during the past
2 years on all of the following:
- Describing how widespread HIV and other STD infections are and the consequences of
these infections.
- Understanding the modes of transmission and effective prevention strategies for
HIV and other STDs.
- Identifying populations of youth who are at high risk of being infected with HIV
and other STDs.
- Implementing health education strategies using prevention messages that are likely
to be effective in reaching youth.
Activities
- Conduct focus groups with youth to incorporate student input into curricula
training professional development events.
- Create and implement, in collaboration with Vermont Cares, a professional development
event to increase the comfort level of educators teaching HIV, STD, and pregnancy prevention.
- Address core content, skills-based learning strategies, stigma, and social norms through
ongoing professional development opportunities for lead health education teachers.
Vermont is seeking to increase the percentage of schools in which the
lead health education teacher received professional development on at least
six of the following during the past 2 years:
- Teaching HIV prevention to students with physical, medical, or
cognitive disabilities.
- Teaching HIV prevention to students of various cultural backgrounds.
- Using interactive teaching methods for HIV prevention education,
such as role plays or cooperative group activities.
- Teaching essential skills for health behavior change related to HIV
prevention and guiding student practice of these skills.
- Teaching about health-promoting social norms and beliefs related to
HIV prevention.
- Strategies for involving parents, families, and others in student
learning of HIV prevention education.
- Assessing students’ performance in HIV prevention education.
- Implementing standards-based HIV prevention education curricula and student
assessment.
- Using technology to improve HIV prevention education instruction.
- Teaching HIV prevention to students with limited English
proficiency.
- Addressing community concerns and challenges related to HIV prevention
education.
Activities
- Provide professional development on an evidence-based intervention titled
Reducing the Risk in two targeted areas of the state identified as having students
with higher than statewide average risk behaviors and lower than statewide average
socioeconomic status.
- Target high-risk students by providing professional development to student
assistance professionals that serve this population and including alternative schools.
- Focus training efforts with lead health educators on skills-based and standards-based
comprehensive sexuality education that incorporates interactive teaching methods.
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