MO Mandates

 
 

 

SAINT LOUIS AIDS LINKS

Memories

High School

Missouri Mandates

My Thoughts

Media

Hometown Heroes

My Perceptions Home

HOME

 

 

     

Missouri State Flag

The state of Missouri does not require school districts to follow their mandates, located in the Missouri School Improvement Program, for educating students about HIV/AIDS prevention education. To the contrary, Missouri enforces student school accreditation standards – 2001, which requires health class requirements. The health class should include basic health education including tobacco, alcohol, and HIV/AIDS prevention. During elementary schooling, the student should gain comprehensive health knowledge, but without any time requirements. For middle school, the requirements for health class are a minimum of 1500 minutes. Finally, in high school the requirement is for a basic health course with a minimum of 0.5 credits – desired 1.0 credit, out of 40.5 credits. These numbers do not reflect how much time is actually allocated to teaching about HIV/AIDS prevention at each grade level in health class. The state should require each school to focus more on AIDS, especially in those zip codes where it is a major problem. Missouri requires specific guidelines for the content taught in health class. The guidelines require all information to be presented accurately both medically and factually. In addition, it requires teachers to teach students that abstinence is the preferred method for not contracting the disease. Teachers must also present the risk associated with adolescent sex and present the topic of contraceptive focusing on both the successes and failures. Finally, guidelines require that school districts notify and receive the consent of parents to allow their children to participate in HIV/AIDS programs (1).