District 15 Comprehensive Health Program
Health Services and Occupational & Physical Therapies—Susan Arndt
Phone: 847-963-3151
E-mail: arndts@ccsd15.net
The goals for the District 15 health program support the Board
of Education goals to integrate technology, ensure District 15 students
meet or exceed state standards, and help the organization excel.
A key goal for District 15 is to create a caring, safe, and orderly
learning environment. All departments in District 15 support this
goal as an organization and are responsible for achieving this goal
successfully.
National Education Goals:
Goal one of the National Education Goals for the year 2000 focuses
on school readiness and states that by the year 2000, all children
in America will start school ready to learn. This goal includes
children receiving the proper nutrition, physical activity, and
health care.
Goal six of the National Education Goals for the year 2000 focuses
on every school in the United States being free of drugs, violence,
and the unauthorized presence of firearms and alcohol to ensure
a safe and disciplined environment conducive to learning.
Meeks/Heit Comprehensive Health Program:
In regards to the national goals, District 15 adopted a comprehensive
health program in 1999. The Meeks/Heit Comprehensive Health Program
is an organized set of policies, procedures, and activities designed
to protect and promote health, safety, and well-being of students
and staff. The comprehensive health education program focuses around
major topics which include:
- mental and emotional health
- family living
- growth and development
- nutrition
- personal health
- alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs
- communicable and chronic diseases
- injury prevention and safety
- consumer and community health, and
- environmental health.
Health education is an ongoing process that involves the process of teaching life skills.
National Health Education Standards:
The National Health Education Standards are standards that specify
what students should know and be able to do. These include seven
standards that focus on health promotion and disease prevention,
health information and products, health behaviors, media influence,
reducing health risks, effective communication, goal-setting and
decision-making skills, as well as the important roles of the family,
school, and community.
Illinois State Standards:
In the Illinois learning standards, standards for health are integrated in the physical education standards. Illinois standards for health include state goals 22-24. These standards focus on the benchmarks and content explaining what all students should know and be able to do.
State goal 22: understand principles of health promotion and the prevention and treatment of illness and injury.
State goal 23: understand human body systems and factors that influence growth and development.
State goal 24: promote and enhance health and well-being through the use of effective communication and decision-making skills.
District 15 Learner Statements:
In the District
15 Learner Statements, health standards are separated to show
what every student should know and be able to do by grade level.
These learner statements were derived from the state standards and
are grouped by benchmarks K-2, 3-5, and 6-8. As stated in reference
to the national goals and standards, the goal is to promote prevention,
illness, and safety as well as understand factors that influence
health, including procedures for communicating in positive ways,
preventing conflicts, and making good decisions to protect and promote
individual health.
Philosophy Supports Life Skills:
Our goal is to help students become lifelong learners and develop
skills for life. This includes supporting students in the process
of good decision-making skills. These life skills are supported
through health literacy.
Health Literacy:
Health literacy is helping students in District 15 to become competent in critical thinking and problem solving, promoting a responsible and productive citizen, promoting self-directed learning and effective communication.
Healthy Behaviors:
Healthy behaviors include actions that promote health, prevent illness, injury, and premature death, and improve the quality of the environment. Examples would include eating a balanced diet, wearing a seatbelt, and even following safety rules and guidelines.
Healthy Relations:
Healthy relationships promote self-esteem and productivity, encourage healthy behaviors, and are free of violence and drug abuse.
Responsible Decision-Making Skills:
Health knowledge is essential in supporting students to make healthy decisions. The responsible decision-making model includes a person who promotes health, protects safety, protects laws, shows respect for self and others, follows guidelines set by responsible adults, and demonstrates good character.
Model for Using Resistance Skills:
Risk factors include ways that a person might behave and characteristics
that might threaten safety, health, and well-being of an individual.
When risk factors come into play students are encouraged to use
the model for using resistance skills. These include: using assertive
behavior—just say “no”, avoid saying “no thank
you,” use nonverbal behavior that matches verbal behavior,
influence others to choose responsible behavior, avoid being in
situations in which there will be pressure to make harmful decisions,
avoid being with people who choose harmful actions, resist pressure
to engage in illegal behavior.
Human Growth and Development:
The Meeks/Heit Comprehensive Health Program promotes an
abstinence-based approach to human growth and development. In grades
four and five, girls are introduced to the content related to adolescence
and changes that occur during puberty including the menstruation
cycle. In grade six, all students are introduced to human growth
and reproduction. In junior high, students study communicable and
noncommunicable diseases, and ways to reduce risks related to adolescent
health problems.
As a district and community, we feel it is parent's primary responsibility to educate their children on sensitive topics related to the study of human growth and reproduction.
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