Dr. Terry O. Oatts, Superintendent  	Board of Education
Mandy M. North – Chair     
                      Pamela J. Brown – Vice Chair
Wales F. Barksdale
	Tony Dowdy
      Heather Duncan                           
Sandra Jackson-Lett
Jim McBrayer
                                                         Santana Flanigan, General Counsel                                                                

School Year 2020-2021
  
Dear Parent of a High School or Carnegie Grade 8 Student:  
   
Rockdale County Public Schools (RCPS) strives to continue to help students stay physically and emotionally healthy during remote/virtual learning. As required by the Georgia Department of Education and Georgia Mandate for Sexual Abuse and Assault Prevention Education., RCPS health teachers will instruct students in the areas of human growth and development, adolescent sexuality, sexually transmitted diseases, and sexual abuse, assault, and exploitation prevention. The above curriculum will be developmentally appropriate for each grade level. It will teach students that abstaining from sex until marriage is the only sure way to avoid sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS. The program will assist students in coping with social and peer pressures they face today. It will help students develop skills to say “no” to behaviors in which they do not wish to engage. If appropriate, RCPS encourages parents/guardians to take appropriate steps to ensure that younger children in the home are sheltered from the lessons because of the sexual nature of the topics being taught. RCPS also encourages parents/guardians to talk with their students before each lesson in hopes of minimizing disruptions.

The growth and development of young people are important, and it is essential to give careful consideration in providing meaningful experiences for them. In our curriculum, all pertinent concepts are presented in a logical, sequential manner beginning in kindergarten. As of August 2018, Georgia Mandate for Sexual Abuse and Assault Prevention Education, requires students enrolled in grades K-9 to annually receive age appropriate sexual abuse and assault awareness and prevention education. Kindergartners are taught that creatures of the same kind produce others of the same kind, middle school students are introduced to the correct anatomical terminology while identifying the physical and emotional differences between males and females, and high school students receive training that will prepare them for parenting.
   
What follows is a summary of the objectives to be addressed in the high school growth and development unit of the Health Curriculum. 
       
1.	Through an introduction of correct terminology, students will be able to ask questions and discuss sexuality accurately. 
2.	Through group activities, students will be able to identify the physical and emotional changes that occur during adolescence.  
3.	Through discussions and digital video discs, students will identify differences between males and females.  
4.	Using lectures, class discussions, and digital video discs, students will study the biology of reproduction in humans.  
5.	Through discussions and digital video discs, students will learn behaviors appropriate for interacting with persons of the opposite sex.  
6.	Students will understand some of the problems related to sexuality and how to effectively avoid them. 
7.	Students will evaluate the effect of media on personal and family health.   
8.	Students will study about the transmission of HIV, the effects of AIDS, and cause/effects of STDs.  
 
Our high school Health courses use the Real Essentials curriculum. You may review the materials used in the unit before your child receives instruction. Visit https://www.myrelationshipcenter.org/ for more information. The Real Essential human growth and development curriculum aligns with the Georgia Performance Standards, which can be viewed at https://www.georgiastandards.org/Standards/Pages/BrowseStandards/HealthEd.aspx. You  can find additional information about Georgia Mandate for Sexual Abuse and Assault Prevention Education. by vising: http://www.legis.ga.gov/Legislation/en-US/display/20172018/SB/401.

Please be assured the information is presented in a prudent and tasteful fashion. More Than Conquerors, Inc.  
(http://www.mtciga.com/) is also a valuable resource to our school system as they provide certified abstinence educators upon request. For details about our school system’s human sexuality program, contact Dr. Denise Richardson in Curriculum Services at 770-860-4271.  
    
I encourage your support in meeting the needs of all our students.  For your own child, I ask that you provide your consent for his/her participation in the growth and development unit as well as providing consent for your child’s participation in the evaluation of the Georgia Sexual Risk Avoidance Education Program.  Please indicate your preference for your child’s participation in this class and evaluation on the form below, sign the form, and return it to your child’s teacher. Please contact your child’s teacher to develop an alternate plan of instruction if you do not want your child to participate, which can occur at school or home.  
  
Thank you for your interest in your child’s education and your support of the Rockdale County Public Schools.  

Sincerely,   

Dr. Terry O. Oatts Superintendent

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PARENTAL AND STUDENT CONSENT FOR PARTICIPATION

I understand my student will receive remote/virtual instruction in the areas of human growth and development, adolescent sexuality, sexually transmitted diseases, and sexual abuse, assault, and exploitation prevention. I also understand that my child has been asked to take part in a voluntary evaluation of the Georgia Sexual Risk Avoidance Education Program. If he/she choose to participate, he/she will be asked a series of questions about their knowledge and perceptions of abstaining from sexual activity until marriage, current and past sexual activity, consequences of engaging in sexual activity as a teen, as well as what they have learned in the program. The information gained from the evaluation may contribute to a better understanding of the abstinence program.

The information collected will be summarized and reported only in group form. Information that is gathered about your child will be confidential and not be reported to anyone outside of the evaluation that in any way identifies your child. You may refuse to have your child take part in this evaluation, and if you choose for your child to take part they may stop at any time. If you refuse for your child to take part or your child decides to stop answering the questions, your child will not be penalized and will not lose any benefits from the SRAE program to which they are entitled.

BY SIGNING BELOW, I ACKNOWLEDGE THE PROGRAM ADDRESSES AREAS OF HUMAN GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT AND SEXUAL TOPICS. I RELEASE AND WAIVE AND FURTHER AGREE TO INDEMNIFY, HOLD HARMLESS, OR REIMBURSE THE ROCKDALE COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION, THE ROCKDALE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT, AND ITS SCHOOLS, EMPLOYEES, AND AGENTS FROM AND AGAINST ANY CLAIM WHICH I, ANY OTHER PARENT OR GUARDIAN, ANY SIBLING, THE STUDENT, OR ANY OTHER PERSON, FIRM, OR CORPORATION MAY HAVE OR CLAIM TO HAVE, KNOWN OR UNKNOWN, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, FROM ANY LOSSES, DAMAGES, OR INJURIES ARISING OUT OF, DURING, OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE STUDENT’S PARTICIPATION IN THIS PROGRAM.

 	I do give consent for my child to participate in the growth and development unit.    
  
 	I do not give consent for my child to participate in the growth and development unit.  

 	I do give consent for my child to participate as a subject in this evaluation.

 	I do not give consent for my child to participate as a subject in this evaluation.
   
 	  	 		 	
(Parent/Guardian Signature) 	(Student’s Name)	(Date)