The Board of Trustees had approved an 8th grade curriculum called Choosing the Best PATH. Choosing the Best PATH is an abstinence-focused program designed to delay teen sexual activity. This 8 day program will be offered through the physical education and athletic classes this spring at all of Northside’s Middle Schools. In subsequent years, the program will be offered each fall. The following is a review of various aspects of the program:
All of your physical education teachers received training earlier this month from an experienced abstinence-focused trainer specific to the Choosing the Best PATH materials. Follow-up training will be scheduled in the fall.
Two Choosing the Best PATH kits have been sent to your campus. The materials include videos, a teacher edition and a student edition. In the next week, each teacher will be receiving their own teacher edition. Student manuals have been sent to your campus and will be replaced each year.
Additional materials are currently being developed to assist the teachers in teaching this unit, including “Guidelines to Answers for Student Generated Questions.” Other resources include “Guidelines for Teaching Human Growth and Development” and various transparencies to enhance the lessons.
During the week of March 7th, a letter from Linda Mora will be sent to the homes of each of your 8th grade students, whether they are in physical education or athletics. (See attached) The letter gives information about three parent previews opportunities and a choice form for the parents to return by April 1st. In order for a student to be in the program, the parent must choose Program A on the form. If a student does not return the form, he/she will remain in physical education class.
Teaching Choosing the Best PATH
The dates that are designated to teach the program include:
The logistics for setting up for this program at the individual schools is site-based. The PE Coordinators have been given information to begin working out the details, such as locating classrooms or areas to teach the lessons, arranging for class sizes that are reasonable for the subject area, (numbers of 40 or below are the most appropriate) and working out coverage for students who are not in the program, etc. Any assistance that you can provide to help your PE Coordinator will be very much appreciated.
We are very hopeful that Choosing the Best PATH will be meaningful and helpful to your students and parents. Like any program that focuses on sexuality education, Choosing the Best PATH will be a definite challenge for your teachers. Some of them will be more suited and comfortable with the lessons than others. At this point, we believe that the teachers are adequately prepared. Please let Linda Seewald know if you need any further clarification or any assistance that I can provide.
