Q&A
Addressing intimate partner violence in sexual health education
0:57:44
·
126 sec
Council Member Farah N. Louis inquires about the integration of intimate partner violence (IPV) education into the sexual health curriculum. The DOE representative confirms that violence-related topics are included at all grade levels in an age-appropriate manner, with a focus on boundaries, communication, and healthy relationships in younger grades, progressing to more specific IPV topics in middle and high school.
- IPV education is incorporated into the sexual health unit for middle and high school students
- Teachers show strong support for including IPV topics in the curriculum
- The DOE provides instructional materials on IPV as part of the recommended curriculum
Farah N. Louis
0:57:44
Thank you, chair Joseph.
0:57:46
I'd like to to briefly shift our attention to the intersection of sexual education and intimate partner violence.
0:57:54
Given the ongoing discussions around sexual health education's implementation, how much of the current curriculum is dedicated to addressing issues of domestic and intimate partner violence, and are educators provided with the tools and training to navigate these sensitive topics effectively?
Narrator in Shown Video
0:58:12
Yeah.
0:58:14
I'm muted.
0:58:15
So glad you brought up that connection because we agree that it's extremely, extremely important.
0:58:19
So at all grade levels, in an age appropriate way, violence related topics are included in the curriculum.
0:58:26
And in middle and high school, intimate partner violence and and related topics are included in the sexual health unit.
0:58:36
I think that, you know, topics related to things like boundaries, clear communication, respecting other people's boundaries, healthy friendships.
0:58:45
Right?
0:58:45
Those are the things that we sort of focus on in the younger grades, and then as it gets older looking at, romantic and dating relationships, and, and preventing violence.
Farah N. Louis
0:58:54
Thank you for that.
0:58:55
Research find findings from the Journal of Adolescent Health supports the inclusion of IPV education as part of a broader curriculum to improve social emotional learning and promote healthier, respectful, interpersonal dynamics as you just shared, and should be included as a core component of sexual education.
0:59:17
So can you share with us, are these considerations actively incorporated into the development of the curriculum that you just shared, and if not, what barriers exist to the integration of it?
Narrator in Shown Video
0:59:29
Yeah.
0:59:29
Absolutely.
0:59:30
And I would say this is an area where we see a lot of buy in from teachers as well.
0:59:35
They know it's important.
0:59:35
They see it among their among their students, and they know the the value of it.
0:59:39
And so it's really just making sure that they have the, you know, quality instructional materials to do it.
0:59:39
So it is absolutely included in our scope and sequence and in our recommended curriculum, for in the sexual health unit.
