New Health Education Guidelines Approved!

Thanks to everyone who showed up to testify in support of the DC Health Learning Standards. The DC State Board of Education approved the new standards last night. The Examiner Reports: Thursday's vote follows a report by the DC Appleseed Center for Law and Justice that said the lack of a comprehensive HIV-AIDS education program was putting District of Columbia students at risk. The new standards cover such things as mental health, nutrition, fitness and sex ed. Officials say they are a crucial first step in addressing problems like D.C.'s high rate of HIV infection, as well as things like obesity and teen pregnancy. D.C. health officials have said Washington has the highest AIDS rate among major cities across the country. Of course this is the beginning, not the end of this process. We need a lot more from Michelle Rhee and the Department of Education: We must go from having standards to enforcing them. According to the 2005 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), a survey of DC Public School students conducted by the CDC and DC Public Schools, 17.5% of middle school students and 9.5% of high school students say they were never taught about HIV/AIDS in school. We must make sure that every student in DC public schools is taught about HIV/AIDS. We need a timely release of the 2007 DC YRBS data from DCPS. While we got a preview of the data in September and were promised the data in October, we are STILL waiting for the release. This data would have greatly informed the DC Board of Education hearing, and it's very disappointing that we don't yet have it. We need specific and measurable goals for DC Public Schools to monitor their progress on HIV/AIDS. We can do this by analyzing the 2007 YRBS data and setting goals for improvement when the YRBS is conducted again in 2009. We need a commitment from DCPS to analyze the brand new data on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and questioning (LGBQ) that is included for the first time in the 2007 YRBS. DCPS has said they plan to do this, but again, it's been four months and we're still waiting. We need to know who is going to do this work, what specific health indicators they are going to analyze for potential LGBQ health disparities, and when it will be done by. Set goals. Assign responsibilities. Make it happen! We need the DCPS Youth Risk Behavior Survey Advisory Committee to meet on a regular basis to be part of this process. The advisory board which is supposed to meet regularly hasn't actually met since October 2006. This is unacceptable. We need Mayor Adrian Fenty to reject federal abstinence only funding, which requires us to spend matching DC tax dollars on abstinence-only-until-heterosexual-marriage programs which have been proven to be uneffective. A coalition of DC youth serving organizations has asked Fenty to join the eleven states that reject these funds.

HIV/AIDS Education in Washington, D.C., Schools Lacking, Other City Efforts Improving, Group Finds

Kaiser Daily: Delays in implementing a comprehensive HIV/AIDS education program in Washington, D.C., public schools are putting students at risk and undermining the city's efforts to fight the disease, according to a report released Wednesday by the DC Appleseed Center for Law and Justice, the Washington Post reports. The center has given the district's public school system a "D" grade for its lack of progress in providing HIV/AIDS education to students, according to the Post. "In the midst of this crisis, students should be getting information in school that will help prevent infection for the rest of their lives," the report said, adding that despite several school board resolutions for immediate action, "fewer and fewer" young people have received HIV/AIDS education in recent years. The group called on school board leaders and Mayor Adrian Fenty's administration to set strong standards and curricula on HIV/AIDS before classes start next fall. "The district's young people are entitled to nothing less," the report said. Appleseed Executive Director Walter Smith said the report would have given the school system a failing grade if officials had not committed to making changes. HIV/AIDS education "simply wasn't made a high priority," Smith said. District School Chancellor Michelle Rhee in a statement released Tuesday acknowledged the issues. "Going forward," the school system is "committed to implementing comprehensive health curriculum that includes instruction on HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases," Rhee said. The school board is scheduled to vote on Thursday on the overall standards that will be the initial steps toward the health curriculum goal, the Post reports. Other Evaluations According to the Post, the school system's grade is a "glaring negative" in a report card that also reflects signs of improvement in the district's HIV/AIDS efforts. The group issued an "A" to two of the 12 areas evaluated in the report, and six other categories received their highest score to date. This is the third assessment that Appleseed has issued since March 2006. Appleseed said that the scores reflect the district government's success this year "in creating the beginnings of an infrastructure of a properly functioning public health system to address the epidemic, something lacking in the district for quite some time." The most recent HIV/AIDS figures for the district found that almost 12,500 people were known to be living with the disease in 2006 and that more than 80% of several thousand new HIV cases since 2001 occurred among black residents, the Post reports. Although the figures "renewed criticism" of the HIV/AIDS Administration's prior handling of the epidemic, they represented an important statistical "breakthrough" for which Appleseed awarded an "A," according to the Post. The report also includes a number of accomplishments on disease surveillance by the HIV/AIDS Administration, such as fixing a HIV/AIDS case backlog and working with community groups, laboratories and doctors for better data collection. The report said that the improvement in HIV/AIDS surveillance "does not by itself advance the city's response to the epidemic" but provides "a much needed new tool for targeting that response." The report also noted that the HIV/AIDS Administration now has more than four dozen hospitals, clinics, private doctors and not-for-profit groups doing routine HIV testing during medical care. In addition, the agency increased its distribution of no-cost condoms from 115,000 last year to a projected one million this year, and it responded quickly when groups complained about some of the condom packaging, Appleseed said. HIV/AIDS Administration Director Shannon Hader, who took office in mid-October, has pledged to triple the number of condoms distributed by 2009. Hader expressed satisfaction with the evaluation, adding, "It helps us to have another eye on what we're doing, to give us feedback." The district's Department of Corrections received the highest score from the group. About 75% of inmates at the district jail are screened for HIV/AIDS on arrival, the Post reports. Beginning in January, HIV-positive inmates will receive a 28-day supply of antiretroviral drugs on discharge so their treatment is not interrupted. The two initiatives are "at the forefront of the nation," Appleseed's report said. "Enormous progress has been made," Susan Galbraith -- director of the not-for-profit Our Place DC, which assists women who have been incarcerated -- said (Levine, Washington Post, 12/12). The report is available online (.pdf).

Thanks for Supporting HIV/AIDS Education in DC Public Schools

Thanks to everyone who came out to support the DC Public School Health Learning Standards. While there were a couple folks who came out to oppose the standars, the vast majority of people in attendance came out to support the standards, and to support HIV/AIDS education for DC Public School students. Supporters included a great mix of parents, students, teachers, ministers, medical professionals, HIV/AIDS organizations, and LGBT Groups. You can click here to see pictures from the event on our flickr page, or click here to see an amateur video montage on youtube (also below)

Stand with DC Youth TONIGHT at DC State Board of Education Meeting

We need you to stand with and for young people in the District of Columbia tonight (Wednesday Nov 28th) at the DC State Board of Education Meeting and support comprehensive sex education. The meeting takes place at the State Board of Education Old Council Chambers, Old Council Chambers, 441 4th Street, NW at 5:30 PM. Supporters will be handing out red t-shirts! Dear Friends and Colleagues, We've all seen the numbers from the HIV/AIDS Administration. You know that we're in a city overwhelmed by HIV/AIDS. But let me give you two numbers that weren't in that report. According to a survey of DC Public School students conducted by the CDC and DC Public Schools, 17.5% of middle school students and 9.5% of high school students say they were never taught about HIV/AIDS in school. These numbers are from 2005. But sadly, when we saw a glimpse of the preliminary 2007 data we learned that 2007 numbers are expected to be worse. We have failed DC youth by not getting our HIV/AIDS epidemic under control, but we will fail them yet again if we neglect to give them the tools to protect themselves in a city where 1 in 20 people is HIV positive. We must empower every student in every classroom, in every school, with comprehensive sex education and all the information they need to stay safe and healthy. Encouraging the DC State Board of Education Meeting to approve the Health Learning Standards is a crucial first step. These standards have been created with the input of local DC youth organizations and child and adolescent health specialists. Please join me TONIGHT to show your support. We need you to stand with and for young people in the District of Columbia tonight (Wednesday Nov 28th) at the DC State Board of Education Meeting and support comprehensive sex education. The meeting takes place at the State Board of Education Old Council Chambers, Old Council Chambers, 441 4th Street, NW at 5:30 PM. Supporters will be handing out red t-shirts!

Squidoo: Michelle Rhee and HIV/AIDS in DC

Check out the latest Squidoo page which looks at Michelle Rhee and the HIV/AIDS Epidemic in DC. As the head of DC Public Schools (DCPS), Michelle Rhee plays an important role in the fight against HIV/AIDS in DC. Rhee oversees the DCPS HIV/AIDS Program. Be sure to check out the new page at www.squidoo.com/michellerhee/.

New York Rejects 'Financing Ignorance': Will DC Follow?

Today New York State Health Commissioner Richard F. Daines announced that New York is joining the growing number of states that are rejecting the Bush Administration's Abstinence Only Program. Daines stated "The Bush administration's Abstinence Only Program is an example of a failed national healthcare policy directive, based on ideology rather than on sound scientific- based evidence that must be the cornerstone of good public healthcare policy." While the policy has been in effect for some time, Daines comments coincided with the release of the report Financing Ignorance: A Report on Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Funding in New York. Daines continued: "In keeping with the Governor Spitzer's progressive healthcare agenda for New York, on July 2rd the department cancelled all existing abstinence only contracts under the federal Title V program that began under the previous administration. Earlier this year, the department made a conscious decision not to reapply for funds under this program due to the increasingly rigid federal standards imposed on New York and other states that were contrary to our commitment to fully educate adolescents about the risks associated with sexual behavior." On numerous occasions, concerned DC residents have asked Adrian Fenty to unequivocally reject Abstinence-Only-Until Marriage Funding. I asked Mayor Fenty if he would reject this money at a Gertrude Stein Democrats Meeting in May 2007. A coalition of local youth serving organizations also asked Mayor Fenty to reject this money in May. The organizations that signed on to this request include: City Year Washington DC, DC Primary Care Association, Girls Incorporated of the Washington DC Metropolitan Area, The Latin American Youth Center, Metro TeenAIDS, Sasha Bruce Youth Work, Young Womens Project, and Youth Action Research Group. New York is one of eleven states that has rejected abstinence-only-until-marriage funding. The other states are California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, Montana, New Jersey, Ohio, Rhode Island, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Let's hope the District of Columbia is next.

HIV/AIDS Awareness Low Among DC Teenagers

Unlike most District teenagers, 15-year-old Kanesha Overton considers herself well informed about the rising epidemic of HIV/AIDS in the Greater Washington area. But her knowledge about the disease, she says, came from her babysitter, not HIV/AIDS information campaigns or sex education programs. "I learned about the disease from my babysitter, by her talking to me about it at a young age, starting at about age six," said Overton, a student at Banneker Academic High School. "When I became older, it made me more aware about the truth." Overton also learned about sex the hard way. Her mother got pregnant with Overton's older brother at age 19 and the father was 22. Before her father could wed her mother, he died of a gunshot to his head. Kanesha was three years old at the time. But Overton's mother made sure that her daughter did not repeat her mistakes. She began talking to her and explaining what sex was at the age of 13, speaking mostly of its consequences, such as diseases. "My mother always told me, when she had sex and how it affected her life," she said. "It makes me want to wait until I get married." continue reading this article at the District Chronicles (you may need to register)

Michelle Rhee at Gertrude Stein Democrats Meeting

There is an article about the new chancellor of the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS), Michelle Rhee appearing at a recent Gertrude Stein Democrats meeting in Metroweekly. I was there, and I asked Michelle Rhee two questions about the Youth Risk Behavior Survey. In responding, Rhee first had to seek clarification from her aide on whether or not the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) was under her jurisdiction. I have to admit, I was a little disappointed she was unfamiliar with the YRBS, which is crucial to understanding the health and well being of DC school students (including but not limited to HIV/AIDS). Can Rhee have a measurable impact on the number of students who take weapons in our schools? Can Rhee have a measurable impact on the number of students who report being harrassed or threatened in our schools? Can Rhee in any way impact the number of students who smoke cigarattes or who have been offerred or sold illegal drugs on school grounds? All these questions are part of the Youth Risk Behavior, and two years from now, we will be comparing the 2007 YRBS data with the 2009 YRBS data to understand Rhee's impact in her first two school years. There are other tools to measure whether or not Rhee can improve the academic performance of school students, but the YRBS is the most important tool to understand whether or not Rhee can impact the health & safety of our students. If she is unfamiliar with the baseline data we are going to be using to evaluate her progress, I find that a little concerning. Still, as Adam Tenner stated in the article, "For youth in D.C., it's incumbent on us to extend the chancellor as much trust as we can, until she gives us reason not to." I look forward to working with Michelle Rhee, and hope we can achieve measurable improvements in the health and safety of our students in the District. If you want to read more about the meeting and other issues raised, click here to read the Metro Weekly article. If you would like to learn more about the YRBS, please come to the ACTION lunch next month where Dr. Clark will be speaking on the Youth Risk Behavior Survey.

Washington Blade Article on New Health Education Guidelines

The Washington Blade has an article on the proposed health education guidelines for DC Public Schools. The draft guidelines, which were approved by the board last month, were put online this month (click here to read the guidelines on the DCPS website). Jeremy Ogusky (pictured left), Deputy Director of Metro TeenAIDS, is quoted in the article. Metro Teen AIDS is one of several organizations that make up the DC Healthy Youth Coalition, which submitted comments on the guidelines this week: "'The posted draft health learning standards have addressed almost all the recommendations that our coalition made back in March,' said Jeremy Ogusky, deputy director of Metro Teen AIDS, a D.C. group that provides HIV prevention services to gay youth. 'In my view, and that of a number of national health and sex education experts, these new standards are well written, complete and strongly based in comprehensive sex education,' Ogusky said in an e-mail message." We are one step closer to comprehensive health education in DC public schools. The real test, however, will be in the implementation of these guidelines. Read the entire article on the Washington Blade website.

DCPS Revamps HIV/AIDS Website

DC Public Schools have revamped their website which includes an overhaul of the HIV/AIDS Education Program Site. The new version includes an overview of past Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) Trending Data. 2007 YRBS Data should be available soon and will be featured in an upcoming ACTION Lunch Presentation with Dr. Marc Clark. I'm glad to see the new site up and running but I find myself more than a little skeptical about some of the claims made on the new site. For example: 1. The curriculum section leaves one with the impression that there are city-wide standards for public schools when it comes to HIV/AIDS. In reality, standards vary widely from school to school. That's exactly why we've spent so much time talking about comprehensive sex education. 2. The website describes the HIV/AIDS YRBS Committee saying: "HIV/AIDS YRBS Advisory Board acts as a steering committee and has broad-based representation from the DC Department of Health, private and voluntary health agencies, professional health organizations, parents, community groups and students." Well this may be what it is supposed to be but it is a far cry from what it actually is. The Committee doesn't meet frequently enough to impact any decisions. It's been five months since our last meeting and there are no current plans to meet again. Community folks do NOT feel like their voice is being heard. Community advocates like myself were really upset that questions we wanted to add on transgender youth did not make it into the 2007 YRBS survey simply because DCPS cancelled their December 2006 meeting and refused to meet and discuss the matter. The steering committee does not include any students. I don't believe it includes any parents of DCPS students. And when it comes to involving community members, the track record is pretty bleak. Community advocates who have attended meetings like Judith Levine from Chartered Health and Tina Fernandes from City Year have not been invited back to subsequent meetings, so I find myself skeptical about their interest in engaging community members. So in short, the new website does make the DCPS HIV/AIDS program look impressive, but it's not entirely accurate. I hope one day soon it will be.

Update on Comprehensive Sex Education Letter

There have been to updates to the letter on comprehensive sex education since I last blogged about it. (read the previous blog post here). First, a few changes have been made to the letter to make it a little more focused read the revised letter here. Second, the deadline for organizations to sign-on to the letter has been extended to Tuesday, April 17th. So if your organization would like to endorse the letter, please send me an e-mail and let me know.

DC Youth Risk Behavior Survey Informational Forum

The D.C. Public Schools, Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) Advisory Committee will hold an informal informational forum on the YRBS data set and future planning for risk behavior surveillance in the District of Columbia. The meeting will take place April 10 from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM at 825 North Capitol St., NE - 9th Floor Conference Room 9126. The nearest metro stop is Union Station. Click here to download a flyer for this event YRBSS was developed in 1990 to monitor priority health risk behaviors that contribute markedly to the leading causes of death, disability, and social problems among youth and adults in the United States. These behaviors, often established during childhood and early adolescence, include Tobacco use. Unhealthy dietary behaviors. Inadequate physical activity Alcohol and other drug use Sexual behaviors that contribute to unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV infection. Behaviors that contribute to unintentional injuries and violence. The YRBSS was designed to: Determine the prevalence of health risk behaviors. Assess whether health risk behaviors increase, decrease, or stay the same over time. Examine the co-occurrence of health risk behaviors. Provide comparable national, state, and local data. Provide comparable data among subpopulations of youth. Monitor progress toward achieving the Healthy People 2010 objectives and other program indicators. For more details on the local YRBS visit the DCPS Homepage http://www.k12.dc.us/dcps/dcpsHIV/HIVSURVEY.html

Join Youth Organizations in Support of Comprehensive Sex Education

In response to Mayor Fenty's recent proclamation declaring March 10-16 Abstinence Awareness Week, a coalition of organizations focused on the health of young people has written the enclosed sign-on letter regarding our concerns with abstinence-only education in DC Public Schools and our support for medically accurate, age-appropriate comprehensive sex education. The letter asks Mayor Fenty to catalog and then remove all abstinence-only groups and education taking place in DC Public Schools and to reject the $170,000 the District currently receive in federal funding for abstinence-only-until-marriage programs under Title V, Section 510 (b) of the Social Security Act. Please review the document and let David Mariner know whether your organization would like to add their name to it by Friday, April 6. * click here to download the letter * If your organization would like to endorse the letter, send an e-mail to david[at]fighthivindc[dot]org.

City Year DC to Double Size of HIV/AIDS Outreach Team

This morning I got up (early!) for a breakfast at City Year DC. City Year DC unites a diverse group of 17 to 24 year-olds for a year of full-time, team-based community service. One of sixteen City Year sites located across the country, City Year Washington, DC helps children and youth succeed, develops leaders, and improves the community. On of several programs at City Year DC is the HOPE team, which works to address and prevent the spread of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the DC community by educating young people about the dangers of HIV/AIDS and how the infection is spread. In partnership with Metro Teen AIDS, City Year corps members deliver an 9-week curriculum entitled Making Proud Choices. This CDC-approved curriculum is specifically designed to increase the knowledge of young people about HIV/AIDS, to prevent infection, and to develop positive attitudes about safe sex. Building on the momentum created by the curriculum, the HOPE Team supports, educates and empowers students to launch after-school clubs focused on promoting healthy choices called “Visionary Youth Becoming Empowered” (VYBE). VYBE clubs are currently active at Eastern High School and Bell Multicultural High School. I was excited to learn this morning that City Year plans to double the size of the HOPE team in the next year going from 10 to 20 people. This will give them the opportunity to reach even more DC public school students. Education about HIV and AIDS in DC public schools varies widely depending about what school you are talking about. I'm glad to see this program growing. I also believe there is a tremendous amount we can learn from the Project Hope Team. I would love to learn more about their experience approaching schools, their thoughts on why some DC schools don't offer comprehensive HIV/AIDS education programs, and their thoughts on standards for DC public schools around HIV/AIDS. There should be opportunity to have this dialogue at the CDC mandated DC Department of Education HIV/AIDS Program Review Panel. But as we know in DC, even if the CDC mandates it, it doesn't mean the meetings actually take. This group is supposed to meet at least twice a year. I've asked to be notified of meetings, and as far as I know they haven't met in the past eight months (If anybody knows who I can contact at the CDC to let them know their mandated meetings aren't happening, please tell me!). This to me is just another example of the lack of leadership on HIV/AIDS in the District of Columbia. It's why we need a new Director of the HIV/AIDS Administration as quickly as possible, and why we need a Mayor who is willing to take action on HIV/AIDS.

City Year DC: HIV/AIDS Outreach, Prevention, & Education (HOPE) Team

The mission of the City Year HIV/AIDS Outreach, Prevention, & Education (HOPE) Team is to address and prevent the spread of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the DC community by educating young people about the dangers of HIV/AIDS and how the infection is spread. In partnership with Metro Teen AIDS, City Year corps members deliver an 9-week curriculum entitled Making Proud Choices. This CDC-approved curriculum is specifically designed to increase the knowledge of young people about HIV/AIDS, to prevent infection, and to develop positive attitudes about safe sex. Participants build confidence in their ability to negotiate no sex and safe sex through eight modules of interactive educational activities that include role-playing, brainstorming, small group discussion, and video presentations. Targeting 7th-12th grade students in DC public and charter schools, the HOPE Team delivers the Making Proud Choices curriculum to more than 12 middle, junior high, and high schools over the course of the school year. Each year, the HOPE Team reaches at least 1,500 DC young people with the Making Proud Choices curriculum. Building on the momentum created by the curriculum, the HOPE Team supports, educates and empowers students to launch after-school clubs focused on promoting healthy choices called “Visionary Youth Becoming Empowered” (VYBE). Working with school faculty, the HOPE Team helps interested students learn about healthy choices and engage their peers in making healthy decisions. VYBE clubs are currently active at Eastern High School and Bell Multicultural High School.

DC YRBS Advisory Board Meeting October 17th

The DC Public Schools Youth Risk Behavior Survey Advisory Committee will be meeting on October 17th . The Committee meets 1:00 to 3:00 PM in Room 9126 at 825 North Capitol Street, NE. 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. The next Youth Risk Behavior Survey will be conducted in Spring 2007. So this is an important opportunity to give input to what data is collected. If we fail to ask the right questions, we will not get the full picture of what is happening with DC Youth and their risk behaviors for HIV/AIDS. For example, we do not currently ask a question about sexual orientation on the survey, so our understanding of young gay men and their risk for HIV in the district is incomplete. I will be at this meeting and I hope you'll join me. If you have any questions about the meeting, please contact the DC Public Schools HIV-AIDS Education Program at at (202) 442-7860.

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.