HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.R. NO.

129

TWENTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2004

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 
   


HOUSE RESOLUTION

 

REQUESTING THE LEGISLATURE TO SUPPORT SUBSTANCE ABUSE PREVENTION EDUCATION IN THE CONTEXT OF HAWAII HEALTH EDUCATION STANDARDS IN GRADES K-12 IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

 

 

WHEREAS, the Legislature finds that in order to support healthy youth, families, and communities, Hawaii students need skills-based substance abuse prevention education framed in the context of the Hawaii Health Education Standards; and

WHEREAS, the Hawaii Health Education Standards are one of ten important content areas in the Hawaii Content and Performance Standards (HCPS II) required by the Hawaii Department of Education; and

WHEREAS, the Hawaii Health Education Standards help students learn important core concepts, and the skills of accessing information, self-management, analyzing influences, interpersonal communication, decision-making and goal-setting, and advocacy to help them respond to health-risk situations in health-promoting ways; and

WHEREAS, the Legislature finds that instruction in the health standards is developmentally appropriate; and

WHEREAS, the Legislature finds that examples of this are kindergarten students learning communication skills for being a true friend, in upper elementary grades, students learn advocacy skills for standing by a friend, in the middle grades, students learn analysis skills for responding to pressures from peers while still maintaining friendships, and in high school grades, students learn self-management skills to avoid or get out of situations that put them at risk for health problems or injury; and

WHEREAS, the Hawaii Department of Education, in partnership with the Hawaii Department of Health, the UH College of Education, and community organizations define practicing seven health education standards to promote health and prevent disease and injury in the context of seven health-risk areas; and

WHEREAS, the seven health education standards are: Core Concepts (functional knowledge), Access Information, Products and Services, Self-Management (practice healthy behaviors, such as stress management), Analyze Internal and External Influences, Interpersonal Communication, Decision-Making and Goal-Setting, and Advocacy; and

WHEREAS, the seven health-risk areas are: Injury and Violence Prevention, Alcohol and Other Drug Use Prevention, Sexual Health and Responsibility, Tobacco Use Prevention, Nutrition and Physical Activity, Mental and Emotional Health, and Personal and Consumer Health; and

WHEREAS, the Legislature finds that to provide effective substance abuse prevention education, educators can build on the requirements for teaching the Hawaii Health Education Standards as an established content area in the Hawaii Content and Performance Standards (HCPS II); and

WHEREAS, the Department of Education, the Department of Health, and the UH College of Education have collaborated since 1999 to deliver teacher education and professional development in teaching with the Hawaii Health Education Standards to Hawaii's K-12 teachers, counselors, and administrators; and

WHEREAS, this partnership currently is collaborating to provide state-of-the-art substance abuse prevention education, which includes students, school, and parent/community components; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2004, that this body urges support for including substance abuse prevention education in the context of Hawaii Health Education Standards in the public schools; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this body urges support for teachers in the public schools to deliver standards-based health education; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Superintendent of Education, the Speaker of the House, and the President of the Senate.

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title:

Substance Abuse Prevention Education; Public Schools