Health Education – Frequently Asked Questions

Locate and read the New Jersey Comprehensive Health and Physical Education Standards / New Jersey Student Learning Standards (NJSLS) and answer the following questions:

1. What is your personal opinion on why Health Education should/should not be taught in schools. What concerns you most about teaching health education?

2. What are the time requirements regarding health education for grades 1-12, according to the New Jersey State Administrative Code 18A:35-7-8? Can recess snack time be considered instructional time for health education? Is it acceptable to have outside sources, individuals or organizations provide specialized instruction to students during school hours?

3. Are professional development hours required specifically for health education?

4. Are schools required to make available, upon request to parents, a copy of the health education curriculum? Where does Family Life Education fit into the Core Curriculum Content Standards?

5. Where does family life education fit into the Student Learning Standards?

6. What should you do if a student refuses to participate in family life classes?

7. How should you handle a timely, sensitive topic which continuously surfaces during class discussions which are not part of the curriculum?

8. Does the New Jersey Department of Education have to approve health and family life education materials or require schools to use specific texts or software?

9. Does the Department of Education require us to teach about sexual orientation? Are schools required to teach about same-sex families and abstinence-only programs?

10. As a new, enthusiastic, health teacher you are anxious to be accepted and respected in the school community as a role model, resource, and advocate. How will you earn that recognition from students and staff?