D.C. Healthy Schools Act

Health Education

about health education in the Healthy Schools Act

Health and wellness opportunities must be reinforced in the classroom with education about health, nutrition, and personal safety. The Healthy Schools Act increases the amount of health education that students in grades K through 8 receive in school.

In the 2010-2011 school year, schools must provide at least 15 minutes of health education per week, with the goal of building up to 75 minutes per week in the 2014-2015 school year. Health education curricula and programs include topics such as nutrition, mental health, sexual health, and drug abuse, and must continue to meet the D.C. state learning standards (pdf) for health education. Click here for the OSSE document (pdf) on the Act’s physical education and health requirements.

put the Act into action!

To comply with Title IV of the Healthy Schools Act, your school must:

1. Provide at least 15 minutes of health education per week to students in grades K-8.
By the 2014-2015 school year, your school must provide 75 minutes of health education per week to grades K-8.

2. Ensure that students have adequate personal health knowledge. At the end of each school year, students must be able to meet the state health education standards (pdf).