Ohio is the only state in the nation that doesn’t have a health education model curriculum. While legislation to develop such a curriculum has been introduced many times, the Ohio General Assembly has never passed the legislation.
The Ohio Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (OAHPERD) regularly receives requests from schools for health education curriculum guidance. Working with the Health Policy Institute of Ohio (HPIO), OAHPERD convened expert writing teams, made up of Ohio educators and other specialists, to develop a model curriculum for health. HPIO has also prepared a two-page project overview.
The model curriculum offers in-depth guidance on the skills and knowledge students should learn in each grade. It is an optional tool that school districts and educators can use to develop local curricula and instructional plans and structure professional development.
Ohio Academy of Family Physicians Executive Vice President Ann Spicer served as a member of the Health Education Model Curriculum Advisory Committee.