HIV/AIDS Advocacy: DC Public Schools 101

The District of Columbia Public Schools HIV/AID Programs works to address issues related to HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases and unintended pregnancies in DC Public Schools. The DCPS HIV/AIDS Education Program is supported through a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Division of Adolescent School Health.

Two standing advisory groups provide input into the DC Public Schools HIV/AIDS Programs:

1. HIV/AIDS Program Review Panel: Mandated by the CDC cooperative agreement, the panel reviews HIV/AIDS curriculum as well as other HIV/AIDS outreach and educational materials. The panel is comprised of representatives from the DC Department of Health, private and voluntary health agencies, professional health organizations, parents, community groups, teachers, counselors, students and people living with HIV. The HIV/AIDS Program Review Panel meets at least twice each year.

2. HIV/AIDS YRBS Advisory Board: This Advisory Board provides input on the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS). The YRBS is a survey of high school and middle school students conducted every two years, which collects valuable information about health-risk behaviors among youth including those that would put young people at risk for sexually transmitted diseases, HIV/AIDS, and unintended pregnancy.

Input from community members is crucial to both of these groups. If you are interested in getting involved in either the HIV/AIDS Program Review Panel or the HIV/AIDS YRBS Advisory Board please contact Deborah Brown at (202) 442-7860. More information is available at the DC Public Schools website.

The District of Columbia Public Schools HIV/AID Programs is currently working to improve youth involvement in HIV programming. Many community organizations with existing youth programs (i.e., . Peer Education, adolescent outreach, after school programs, etc.) may want to contact the project to explore partnership opportunities.

The program also works in collaboration with the DCPS Office of Academic Services to create a HIV supplemental curriculum framework for grades K-12. The framework is to be proposed for adoption this school year. Organizations may be interested in participating in roundtables that address learner outcomes, lesson planning, teacher professional development, and alignment with national standards. For more details, contact the HIV-AIDS Education Program at at (202) 442-7860.