Q&A
Inclusive sexual health education for students with special needs
1:56:05
·
87 sec
Council Member Rita Joseph inquires about how the Department of Education supports students with special needs in sexual health education. DOE officials explain that their materials and curriculum are designed to be inclusive of all students, including those with disabilities and English language learners.
- Curriculum includes scaffolding and differentiation strategies for teachers
- Specific training is provided for teaching sex education to students with disabilities
- All students, including those with special needs, are entitled to comprehensive sexual health education
Rita Joseph
1:56:05
Earlier you said, you meet the needs of students with, who are multilingual learners.
1:56:10
How about students with special needs?
1:56:12
How do you support it?
Despina Zaharakis
1:56:17
All of our materials are meant to be inclusive of all students.
1:56:20
Right?
1:56:21
So I think that, Sarah can talk about too the the the, curriculum planning and how specific scaffolds are built in for all students, ELLs, students with disabilities, etcetera.
1:56:35
So
Narrator in Shown Video
1:56:37
Yeah.
1:56:37
We we really, you know, are are are constantly sort of messaging the fact that all students deserve this.
1:56:45
Right?
1:56:45
All students deserve this sexual health education, including our most vulnerable students, which includes students with disabilities.
1:56:51
And so, it's required for all schools.
1:56:53
There's not, you know, there's not a a a separate mandate for for different schools or different students.
1:56:58
And then in terms of the curriculum, yes, we there's scaffolding built in, to lessons because, again, the scope and sequence is, is appropriate for all students.
1:57:08
Right?
1:57:08
It is age appropriate.
1:57:09
What differs then is the is the, strategies that teachers use to differentiate their instruction, so that it is developmentally appropriate.
1:57:17
And so, our instructional materials include, you know, scaffolding tips, ideas, strategies, as well as our trainings.
1:57:25
We actually have a specific training on teaching sex ed for students with disabilities, because we know that's an area of need for for many teachers.
