Dear Parent/Guardian:
California state law, the California Healthy Youth Act, requires that comprehensive sexual health education and HIV prevention education be provided to students at least once in middle school or junior high school and once in high school.
Instruction must encourage students to communicate with parents, guardians or other trusted adults about human sexuality. Instruction must be medically accurate, age‐appropriate and inclusive of all students. It must include the following:
Information about HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including transmission, effects on the human body, FDA approved methods to prevent HIV and STIs, and treatment
Information that abstinence is the only certain way to prevent unintended pregnancy and HIV and other STIs, and information about the value of delaying sexual activity
Discussion about social views of HIV and AIDS including addressing unfounded stereotypes and myths
Information about accessing resources for sexual and reproductive health care
Information about pregnancy, including FDA approved prevention methods, pregnancy outcomes, prenatal care, and the newborn safe surrender law
Information about sexual orientation and gender, including the harm of negative gender stereotypes
Information about healthy relationships and avoiding unhealthy behaviors and situations including sexual harassment, sexual assault, adolescent relationship abuse, intimate partner violence, and sex trafficking
You can review the topics, lessons, and videos used during comprehensive sexual health education and HIV prevention at this link. The password for this protected document is IUSDHealth2025. A virtual Parent Information Presentation can be viewed at these links: Video 1, Video 2. If you have questions, please contact your teacher or principal. You may request a copy of the California Healthy Youth Act (California Education Code Sections 51930‐51939) by contacting the Irvine Unified School District office STEM Department at 949-936-5057.
State law allows you to remove your student from all or part of sexual health and HIV prevention education. If you do not want your student to participate in comprehensive sexual health or HIV prevention education, please provide this information at this link by February 28, 2025. You may also give a written request to your principal or teacher. Schools are not allowed to permit parents/guardians to ONLY opt out of lessons that are focused on LGBTQ content such as gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation; as doing so could be considered discriminatory.
Sincerely,
Becky Friedland
949-936-5003
Secondary Science Coordinator