Texas drops health education requirement

[Renew Deal]

AUSTIN — Health class will no longer be a state requirement for high school students this fall, making Texas one of the few states in the country with no required health education, officials said.

Education Commissioner Robert Scott announced the move in a recent letter to school districts, causing some to worry Texas students will miss out on critical topics like alcohol awareness, sex education and basic nutrition.

“It was very surprising to a lot of people,” said Diana Everett, executive director of the Texas Association for Health Physical Education, Health, Recreation and Dance. “We’ve all been in shock.”

Individual school districts still can require students to take health classes, but Scott eliminated the state requirement to comply with a new law that bumps up the number electives required to graduate. Starting this fall, students must take six elective courses, instead of the currently mandated three-and-a-half.
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http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/6518304.html

[Gulftrout]

1. Bad situation worse

Kids in Texas are already chubkins that eat junk food and play on their cell phones all day. Diabetes, obesity, teen pregancy, alcoholism etc. will all become worse. Kids now don't even have any decent sports heroes to emulate. When I was young I was inspired by the likes of Frank Shorter and Dave Wottle to take up running as a hobby. Sports heroes now are blimped up cheating steroid abusers (Clemens, Bonds, Bagwell??, wrestlers etc.) Ignorance is not bliss.

[Aragorn]

2. sports heroes

gwb traded Bonds (Just Say No?) so in a strange way, doesn't that make gwb a sports hero?

More electives could be good, and this material could be offered in a science class (as long as it's in the bible too).

Really, I pulled my 2 girls out of HS for a year, home-schooled them (I am a single physician) then re-enrolled in a better district at $750/semester each - now one is in law school and one is in med school. My HS was in a university city, a few blocks from that campus in fact, and 30 years ago. Things are worse overall in public education.

But at least we have martial law (no tolerance) so the younguns is pree-pared for real life!

[Aragorn]

3. oops

I meant Sosa - not Bonds. gwb traded Sosa and bonds, not Bonds.

[Gulftrout]

7. Home School??

Home school? That's the answer from the extreme fringes of the republican party. We got an epidemic of fat outta shape kids that are getting type 2 diabetes. I guess it's more business for doctors and the drug companies.

[uppityperson]

13. There are many types of people and reasons for homeschooling. Shame on you

for accusing someone of suggesting that only fundie repubs homeschool. Guess you are showing your prejudices or ignorance there.

[Gulftrout]

14. Wrong you are

Republicans in Texas have been trying shove private school vouchers down our throats for the past few years. Any Texas Democrat can tell you that. Vouchers to help nut job home schoolers avoid paying taxes, and bleed public schools of badly needed cash.

[uppityperson]

17. Private school vouchers are not Home Schooling. eom

[Gulftrout]

18. Sadly

You can't make the connection. The same people (pious republicans) taking sex education out of our schools, are the party of pious home schoolers who don't want their kids taking sex education. They want to tear down public schools by starving them of funding. Private school vouchers directly help religious right private schools and nut job home schoolers. They want to get out of paying their taxes. Republicans in Texas have targeted REPUBLICAN incumbent state reps who are from rural districts that refuse to support the party line on private school vouchers.

[uppityperson]

19. You can't stick to a subject and chide me for doing so. Sad.

"Home school? That's the answer from the extreme fringes of the republican party."

There are many reasons for home schooling.

"Republicans in Texas have been trying shove private school vouchers down our throats for the past few years."

Home schooling is different from private school vouchers.

"Sadly You can't make the connection."

Private schools and home schooling are different. That is what I am saying. If you want to talk about vouchers taking tax money and misusing it, I'd be happy to agree. However, all I am saying is home schooling and private schools are different things, and there are all sorts of reasons for home schooling.

OK, now you get to insult me again. tata

[Gulftrout]

20. The Great Majority

Of home schoolers are pious, religious zealots. Rusty Yates comes to mind.

[sonias]

4. One reason they get away with this - sex education

Education Commissioner Robert Scott announced the move in a recent letter to school districts, causing some to worry Texas students will miss out on critical topics like alcohol awareness, sex education and basic nutrition.

That's why they can get away with this. The right hates anybody teaching our kids any accurate sex education. They prefer our kids to be stupid and apparently unprotected as well. :grr:


Sonia

[WolverineDG]

5. Yeah, best kids get this info the traditional way

in back alleys, behind barns, & back issues of National Geographic. :eyes:

dg

[sonias]

6. Ha ha ha ha

:spray:

The other traditional way is to have another uneducated person explain it to you. :rofl:


Sonia

[mbperrin]

9. Yep, they can find out all they need to know from their friends.

At least enough to get pregnant, get AIDS, or both!

Or in the trifecta, perhaps the parent sexually abusing them can pass on some tips....

Should be against the law to have the word Education in any agency title in Texas.

[WatchWhatISay]

15. Yeah, like mostly the parents who don't want anyone with any

real sense talking to them

[mp9200]

8. No wonder

Everything's bigger in Texas.

[Kirk McPike]

10. It's terrifying....

what's happening to our school standards these days. Our state Board of Education is chock full of crazies.

[sonias]

12. Welcome to DU Texas forum Kirk!

:hi:

SBOE in Texas is currently a majority of right wing crazies - no doubt about that. But there will be several challenges to the nut bags on this board and I hope we will be able to swing this board back to the mainstream.

Cynthia Dunbar (aka Dumb-bar) is target #1. She has several challengers running against her. Even an R in the primary.

Sonia

[WatchWhatISay]

16. Yes, most of them either do not now, or did not let thier own

kids attend public schools. It's not enough for them to fill their own kids head with their crazy fundamentalist/corporatist ideas, they wan't to make sure our textbooks are all written to promote free market capitalism, our teachers promote blind nationalistic patriotism, economic and social conservatism, excessive consumerism, etc, etc.

[onestepforward]

11. Another step backward.

It really seems like Texas education is increasingly being controlled by fundamentalists who will keep on eliminating solid and factual education from Texas schools and trying to turn public schools into bible schools. At least right now, they are getting their way. :-(