December Sexuality Education Newsletter

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Oregon Department of Education - Oregon achieves - together

ODE Sexuality Education Newsletter 
Hands outstretched

 

December 7, 2020 

Dearest colleagues, 

We hope you are settling into a nice rhythm this school year--with the days getting darker it’s a gentle reminder to slow down and take good care of ourselves. The seasonal changes are important guides reminding us that we, too, are a part of nature. Taking time for simple acts that help you reconnect to your natural self can go a long way to boost your mood, improve your health and build your capacity. The team at Resilient Educator have some great free resources on this topic for educators, including this article on building resilience through mindfulness. Check out their page for fun, relevant activities and research tailored to the unique challenges of this 2020 school year.

In this newsletter, we will share with you some of the newly released health and sexuality education guidance, research, resources, and opportunities for training by the ODE, as well as other offerings by statewide and national colleagues that may be of interest to you. 

ODE Sexuality Education & Equity Updates 

Announcing Funding Opportunity for Openly Licensed K-5 or 9-12 Comprehensive Sex Ed Lessons--Coming Soon!

The Oregon Department of Education (ODE) is seeking applications from educators, other non-profit groups, businesses, or consortias, to develop openly licensed lessons that cover Oregon’s Sexuality Education Laws & Health Education Standards to be made available on the Oregon Open Learning (OOL) Hub. This project will provide small one-time grants (~$10,000-$20,000) to teams developing free and openly licensed health and sexuality education lessons for grades K-5 or 9-12 for optional use in Oregon schools.  Applications will require a short project plan and budget. 

Application due date and project timeline will be announced shortly! Keep an eye out for our RFP and application in the coming days.

For more information, please tune into a Q&A discussion on December 14, 2020 from 3:30-4:30. Register here. Or, reach out to Sasha Grenier at sasha.grenier@state.or.us or Andrea Bibee at andrea.bibee@ode.state.or.us with questions.

Oregon My Future-My Choice Grants & Support Available

My Future-My Choice (MFMC) is a comprehensive, medically accurate, inclusive and trauma informed 6th grade sexuality education curriculum. It meets the 6th grade requirements of Oregon’s Health Education Standards, Erin’s Law, and the Healthy Teen Relationships Act to provide age-appropriate sexuality education as an integral part of a health education curriculum. 

MFMC staff provide training for health educators, teachers and high school peer educators at no cost.  Substitute reimbursement is available to cover the cost of teachers attending MFMC trainings. Additional grant funding may be available to your school district for program implementation.  Hard copies of the 6th grade curriculum and materials are provided for free and can also be accessed online. MFMC has also  been adapted for comprehensive distance learning.  

Please contact Leah Haas if interested in accessing these materials, to request program funding, and for additional information: leah.m.haas@dhsoha.state.or.us 

SB 13 Tribal History Courses Available

Senate Bill (SB) 13, now known as Tribal History/Shared History was passed in 2017 and directs the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) to create K-12 Native American Curriculum and provide professional development to educators. There are several professional development courses available online for Oregon educators. Follow this link to learn more about SB 13 and the professional development opportunities available!

Sex Ed Data & Research 

Health and sexuality education holds an important responsibility to reflect the lived experiences of students and staff in Oregon and in the United States. Below, please find some local and national research and data that tell the stories of young people, especially as it pertains to experiences within educational environments. 

Sex Ed News & Resources 

Teaching inclusive sexuality education is a critical piece in our equity work. While we know the Oregon Human Sexuality Education OAR 581-022-2050 requires the use of “inclusive materials, language, and strategies that recognizes different sexual orientations, gender identities and gender expression” that must also be “culturally inclusive,” this work cannot happen overnight. ODE is committed to supporting school districts to provide sexuality education that allows all students to feel safe, seen, and valued. 

Upcoming Training Opportunities for Educators 

Oregon Teacher Training Institute (OTTI)

We are currently adapting and developing virtual sessions of our OTTI sexuality education training series for the 2020-21 school year. Interested in attending an upcoming virtual training? We’d love to hear more from educators, admin, and other school staff about what your needs and capacity looks like in the 2020-21 school year! Please fill out this 3 minute interest gauging form to make your voice heard. 

Note: Unless hosted or facilitated by The Oregon Department of Education (ODE), these training opportunities have not been endorsed by ODE, but are being shared as relevant and high quality opportunities for sexuality education professionals to consider. 

Job Openings and Volunteer Opportunities

Listserv Submission Process

We welcome your submissions to ODE's Sexuality Education ListServ! If you have announcements, job postings, or general questions for your colleagues, you can submit them to Sasha Grenier at sasha.grenier@state.or.us or to Andrea Bibee at andrea.bibee@ode.state.or.us.

In an effort to streamline Listserv messages, we are now planning to send out ListServ messages once a month, during the first week of the month. To accommodate this change and to ensure that we can equitably share announcements from everyone, we're now asking that you submit your Listserv posts no later than the 25th of each month.

Questions? Connections? Please reach out to us: 

Sasha Grenier, MPH, CHES (she/her/hers) Sexuality Education and School Health SpecialistOregon Department of Education | Office of Teaching, Learning, and Assessmentsasha.grenier@state.or.us | www.oregon.gov/ode 

Angie Foster-Lawson, MEd (she/her/hers) Sexuality Education Analyst Oregon Department of Education | Office of Teaching, Learning, & Assessment angie.foster-lawson@state.or.us | www.oregon.gov/ode 

Andrea Bibee, JD, MA (she/her/hers) Temporary Program Analyst Oregon Department of Education | Office of Teaching, Learning, & Assessment andrea.bibee@state.or.us | www.oregon.gov/ode