Talks of Dripping Springs ISD health course resurface

DRIPPING SPRINGS — The Dripping Springs ISD Board of Trustees discussed, for the second time, the potential of a health course requirement for high school students to graduate. This comes weeks after the board decided to postpone any action on the item at its Oct. 23 meeting, following a recommendation by the School Health Advisory Council (SHAC) to add the requirement beginning with the class of 2028.

As recommended by the committee, the health course would be for two semesters for 0.5 credits each. It would be designed to motivate and assist students in maintaining and improving their health, prevent disease, reduce health-related risk behavior and navigate the healthcare system. Students who complete the Principles of Health Science Course would satisfy the local credit requirement for health.

However, several of the trustees expressed their concerns about the course being two semesters long. Thus, district staff brought back the item — for discussion only — to allow the board to review the scope and sequence for a one-semester health course at the high school level at the Nov. 13 meeting.

The curriculum department worked together to see what could be done with an 18-week-long health course, according to DSISD Assistant Superintendent of Learning & Innovation Karen Kidd.

The following are included in the scope and sequence that was brought to the board: health and wellness, disease and disorders, nutrition/physical fitness/developing a healthy lifestyle, substance use, human development (parent permission required), mental health, conflict/violence/abuse (parent permission required), protecting your health, injury and violence prevention and safety, social health and wellness and Senate Bill 30 - interactions with a peace officer.

The board’s perspective

Echoing some of her thoughts from the previous meeting, trustee Tricia Quintero said that she is still not ready at this time to require the health course as it is presented.

“Unfortunately, yes, mental health is terrible in our society as a whole, but I think, sometimes, we talk about it so much that it just is not helpful. And substance use, I think there are ways that we can do that without taking up two weeks,” she explained. “Some of these things I just take pause in because I do know seniors that are leaving to go to work early, I mean, it’s kind of taking credits away from them or taking time away from them that they are utilizing to do other things.”

Trustee Shannon O’Connor asked if the district and the board of trustees had a similar conversation about a health course requirement three years ago and Kidd confirmed that is true.

“I don’t want to keep revisiting this year after year after year if we are really missing something in this whole process,” O’Connor said.

“The SHAC did read a report … It did talk about the growing health concerns with diabetes and other heart diseases, things that our world is faced with. Then, they read the staggering statistics and increase of mental health disorders and how people are needing help,” Kidd explained. “They are looking at what other districts have done and other districts are bringing this requirement back … We are going to do whatever our board wants us to do. If you are not ready to vote on this, we can definitely hit pause. I think our SHAC is in a good place, they are happy you are at least having the conversation and thinking about it.”

Stefani Reinold, president of the board, introduced a different subject surrounding the health course requirement: value.

“To me, health is almost as controversial as religion and politics. I’m just looking at some of these and how different families view mental health, how different families view healthy diet, body image, how we are talking about these things [and] substance abuse … I personally know 10 people who view all of these things in 10 different ways. I am very concerned about putting it at a public education level,” she explained. “I personally know that one off-handed comment around ‘healthy diet’ from a teacher can turn into an eating disorder 20 years later because these things are so controversial. They are so sensitive. That’s my value around something like this.”

While there is a discussion of taking up additional time from students if the health course was required, there is also talk on the values of the community. Trustee Dr. Mary Jane Hetrick said that the values component “is going to warrant more discussion down the road because we are basically saying, ‘SHAC, you gave us something that does not represent the values of the community.’”

Reinold said that the students’ time is an important piece, but “people have very strong emotions” behind health and they are concerned about the “slippery slope” of a class like this.

Kidd said that the district would like to have course selections completed by January, as counselors are already going to speak to middle school students about course selections. However, the board decided that it was not ready for the item to move forward to the December meeting.

The meeting can be accessed at www.dsisdtx.us/Page/3273.

The DSISD Board of Trustees typically has one agenda review meeting and one regular meeting each month, but that was not the case for November and will not be the case for December, either.

The board's next regular meeting will be held at 6 p.m. on Dec. 18.