Education Code (EC) 51934
requires students in grades seven to twelve to receive HIV prevention instruction once during middle school and once during high school. The law states that instruction shall accurately reflect the latest information and recommendations from: the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
, the American Public Health Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the United States Surgeon General and the National Academy of Sciences. Instruction shall include: information on the nature of AIDS and its effects on the body; information on how HIV is and is not transmitted, including information on activities that present the highest risk of HIV infection; discussion of methods to reduce the risk of HIV infection; discussion of the public health issues associated with AIDS; development of refusal skills and effective decision-making skills to assist students in overcoming peer pressure and avoiding high risk activities; and discussion about societal views on AIDS.
Abstinence shall be taught within the context of HIV prevention education EC 51934 (3), however, abstinence-only education is not permitted in California public schools.
EC 51935
requires school districts to cooperatively plan and conduct in-service training for all teachers and school employees who provide HIV prevention instruction. This in-service training shall be conducted periodically to enable staff to remain current with new developments in the scientific understanding of HIV as well as with new prevention education techniques.