Q&A
Implementation of 2018 sexual health education task force recommendations
1:02:10
·
141 sec
Council Member Farah N. Louis inquires about the progress in implementing recommendations from the 2018 sexual health education task force report. The DOE representatives provide an overview of their efforts and challenges in addressing these recommendations.
- The DOE has at least partially addressed all recommendations, with varying degrees of completion
- Key actions include establishing a citywide scope and sequence, expanding free training opportunities, and partnering with Lehman College for teacher certification
- A new task force has been launched to continue work on recommendations that haven't been fully implemented
- Challenges remain, particularly in ensuring every school has a high-quality health education teacher
Farah N. Louis
1:02:10
Okay.
1:02:12
How is DOE addressing gaps identified in 2018 sexual health education task force report.
1:02:19
And if you could also just include, which of the 11 recommendations from the 2018 task force report were implemented.
Despina Zaharakis
1:02:28
Sure.
1:02:32
Okay.
Narrator in Shown Video
1:02:36
So I think in, in Despana's testimony, she talked a little bit about sort of the groupings of recommendations, and each recommendation, I will say, has multiple parts.
1:02:46
So I would say, you know, we have we have at least partially addressed all recommendations, with some that we're more able to complete than others, which is why we're so excited that the task force has been relaunched so that we can continue to work on the ones that haven't been fully implemented.
1:03:03
So for the first three recommendations around prioritizing a culture of wellness and inclusivity, our the work we did to establish the city wide scope and sequence was a really big part of that of of meeting that, those recommendations, as well as our continued work with building awareness with district schools and community members.
1:03:21
And I think, again, creating that culture of sexual wellness isn't something we can do alone.
1:03:26
Right?
1:03:26
And so that's why I think the task force is gonna be so critical in continuing that work so that we we have, you know, buy in from everyone.
1:03:34
For recommendations 4 through 6, ensuring students are served by well equipped and supported health education instructors.
1:03:40
Again, this is one where, in many ways, we've addressed the recommendations by expanding our free training opportunities, including more flexible options, partnering with Lehman College to provide 78 more teachers with advanced certificates in health education, and this is also an area where there's still more work to do because, you know, because of the challenges and the barriers that Desmond brought up around small schools, how can we, you know, identify different models of of staffing teachers or or things that will help us to actually make sure that every single school has a high quality health education teacher.
1:04:12
Right.
1:04:12
And then for the last two recommendations around, accountability, as we shared, we do, publicly report on our on our data, and we also were really excited to be able to to, conduct our research, which you have the the handouts that you all got are the results of that research.
