Curriculum change involves struggles among political actors and interest groups, and those efforts related to sex education have been noted for their particularly vexatious character. When Doug Ford was elected Premier of Ontario, Canada in 2018, he immediately repealed the comprehensive health curriculum of 2015 and attempted to muzzle teachers…

Comprehensive sexuality education is increasingly being employed on a global scale, with controversies arising regarding the content of such education and the rights of children to access sexuality education versus parents' rights to decide the moral education of their children. In this paper, we utilise crip theory and a critical disability…

This article explores a number of ethical implications that could arise in classroom situations when tackling the topic of intimate partner violence and femicide prevention with adolescent students. Due to their disturbing nature these topics might cause distress to students. The elimination of these topics from school curricula aimed at avoiding…

Background: Health literacy research for adolescents and young people has been growing in importance. However, conceptualisation has been largely limited to concepts of adult health literacy in healthcare and disease prevention settings. The challenge for the future lies in developing a coherent concept that combines adolescent development,…

The complexity of young people's strategic negotiation of sexual agency constitutes a challenge for professionals working in the area of sexuality education. This paper explores how comprehensive sexuality education can support young people to develop sexual agency in all its forms: embodied, bonded, narrative and moral. A first step is to base…

In 2015, the New Zealand Ministry of Education released a new curriculum policy document for sexuality education in all schools -- "Sexuality Education: A Guide for Boards of Trustees, Principals and Teachers". This policy is a rare international example of a curriculum document that explicitly values diversity, promotes inclusive school…

State laws governing recreational and medicinal cannabis use are trending toward legalization, which has implications for school social workers and the students, families, and communities they serve. The patchwork of policies and conflicting public opinion sends mixed messages to youth and families who may lack sufficient information regarding…

The successful implementation of comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) programmes in schools depends on the development and implementation of strong policy in support of CSE. This paper offers a comparative analysis of the policy environment governing school-based CSE in four low- and middle-income countries at different stages of programme…

In 2018, reflecting in this journal on the arrival of the 'age of consent' into sexuality education, Jen Gilbert questioned what would happen to a concept drawn in part from legal contexts, but partly also driven by the passion of feminist activists, when it met the demands and logics -- the learning outcomes and lesson plans -- of the classroom.…

In this article, we briefly describe the current epidemiology of HIV/AIDS among South African schoolchildren, as well as the neurocognitive, academic and psychosocial difficulties they experience. Cultural factors linked to HIV prevention and treatment are identified, and government and schools' response to HIV/AIDS is outlined. We then evaluate…

School-based mental health services are those delivered by school-employed and community-employed providers in school buildings. With the implementation of provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (2010) that funds school-based health centers, school-based mental health services could become more broadly available in…

This paper offers a review of school-based sexuality and relationship education as it relates to gender and sexual minority (GSM) students. Framed by a queer theory lens, the paper examines four main topics: (a) sexual health and relationship risks for GSM youth, (b) comprehensive school-based sexuality education as a protective factor for sexual…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to critically examine school health education in the USA and present alternative approaches for more critical and comprehensive health education. Design/methodology/approach: An ecological model framework is used to identify the limitations and opportunities for improvement in school health education in the…

Skill-based Health Education is an approach to Health Education that is effective, interactive, engaging and meaningful. It focuses on skills and functional knowledge of health issues within a society. The importance of Health Education cannot be overemphasized as it plays significant role in preventing disease, prolonging life and protecting…

Kenya has the twelfth largest HIV/AIDS epidemic in the world. In 2016, there was an estimated 1.6 million people living with HIV in Kenya. Youth ages 15-24 accounted for over half (51%) of the HIV incidence reported in 2015, a significant increase from 2013 where youth accounted for 29% of all new cases. The purpose of this paper is to review HIV…