IHAM - Health Education and Exemption from Instruction

1. Overview:
    
   1. Consistent with Department of Education requirements, health and physical education, including instruction about parts of the body, reproduction, and related topics, will be included in the instructional program.
   2. Instruction must be appropriate to grade level, course of study, and development of students and must occur in a systematic manner. The Superintendent will require that faculty members who present this instruction receive continuing inservice training, which includes appropriate teaching strategies and techniques.
   3. Parents/guardians will have the right to inspect health and physical instruction materials which will be made reasonably accessible to parents/guardians and others to the extent practicable.
   4. Parents and legal guardians shall be notified by e-mail, other written means, website/social media postings or phone call, not less than two (2) weeks in advance of use of the curriculum course material to be used for instruction of human sexuality or human reproduction, and that the material is available for inspection at the school. The notice will identify and provide contact information for the member of staff or faculty whom a parent or guardian should contact to arrange an opportunity to inspect the curriculum course material.
   5. Parents/guardians who wish to review or inspect health and physical education materials may arrange a meeting with the Principal to review the materials.
       
2. Opt-Out Procedure
    
   1. Parents/guardians, or students over eighteen years of age, who do not want their child to participate in a particular unit of health or sex education instruction for religious reasons or religious objections, are allowed to have their child opt-out of such instruction.
   2. Parents/guardians who wish to have their child opt-out of such instruction are required to complete the district opt-out form and state the particular unit of curriculum in which the student is not to participate. Any student who is exempted by request of the parent/guardian under this policy may be given an alternative assignment sufficient to meet state requirements for health education. The alternative assignment will be provided by the health or physical education teacher in conjunction with the Principal.
   3. Opt-out requests must be submitted annually and are valid only for the school year in which they are submitted.

In accordance with the federal Protection of Pupil Rights statute, as a School District that receives federal Department of Education funds, the Superintendent shall develop procedures to allow parent/guardian of a student to inspect any instructional material used as part of the educational curriculum for the student. The procedures will provide reasonable access to instructional material within a reasonable period of time after the request is received.

Legal References:

20 U.S.C §1232h, (c)(1)(C), Protection of Pupil Rights
RSA 186:11, IX-c & IX-e Notice to Parents/Guardian Required
NH Code of Administrative Rules, Section Ed 306.40, Health Education Program
NH Code of Administrative Rules, Section Ed 306.41, Physical Education Program
RSA 186:11, IX-b, Health and Sex Education

See Also:  IHAM-R, Health or Physical Education Opt-Out Form
Last Revised: October 19, 2017
Last Review Date: September, 2017
Adopted: February 18, 2016