We hope this newsletter reaches you with warm and heartfelt thoughts as we transition into Fall and Winter. 

November is Native American Heritage Month, a time to celebrate indigenous peoples past, present, and future. Within sexuality education and health education classrooms, it can be a time to both elevate what indigenous cultures teach us about growing up, identity, and community and to discuss the inequitable differences in sexual and reproductive health that many indigenous groups have faced throughout history and continue to experience today. Educators can use film and art to create spaces for students to analyze how culture and media impacts perspectives on sexuality, reproductive health, and relationships. This month, as always, is an opportunity to implement culturally responsive sexuality education, honoring the strength and values of indigenous cultures.

The week of November 13th to 19th is Transgender Awareness Week; a time when transgender people and allies take action to bring attention to the transgender community and work to help create safer and more inclusive communities for students. Transgender youth are an integral part of Oregon schools, making up 8% of the students we serve. Many resources are available for cultivating safer and more inclusive communities in our schools. 

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

Header photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash, Newberg, OR

ODE Sexuality Education Updates

Released: Menstrual Dignity for Students Toolkit Update

In November of 2021, the Oregon Department of Education released the Menstrual Dignity for Students Toolkit which provides districts and schools with new resources as they implement the Menstrual Dignity Act  in a way that centers student equity and dignity. ODE just released an updated version of the toolkit that incorporates additional information and resources. 

This new November 2022 version of the Toolkit contains the following updates:

Updates and location in Toolkit:

• Legal citations to permanent rules (Section 2, page 6)
• Clarifications to the full phase-in requirements of the Menstrual Dignity Act - HB 3294 (2021) in the 2022-23 school year (Section 3 and Section 8, page 28)
• New requirements and recommendations related to SB 1522 (2022) (Section 3, page 10)
• Recommendations for schools offering digital learning (Section 3, page 10)
• Updated resources and links to meeting education requirements (Section 4)
• Additional resources for K-2 and 3-5 program implementation (Section 4, page 19)
• Updated requirements for reporting compliance and requesting reimbursement (Section 8, page 28)

Download the Toolkit

For up-to-date information about the Menstrual Dignity for Students program, please sign up for the Menstrual Dignity Listserv and visit the Menstrual Dignity For Students Program dropdown on the Oregon Department of Education’s (ODE) Sexuality Education Resources page. 

LGBTQ2SIA+ Student Success Grant Program: Due 12/7

The Oregon Department of Education (ODE) LGBTQ2SIA+ Student Success Grant Program will award grantees through June 30, 2023. ODE may choose to extend or renew the contracts into the 2023-25 biennium. The total funds available for this program are $2,000,000 per biennium. Applicants must demonstrate the outcomes of the grant activities will benefit and serve LGBTQ2SIA+ students and their families, and must implement one or more of the strategies included in the LGBTQ2SIA+ Student Success Plan and Statute. Final applications are due at 5pm on December 7, 2022. More information and a webinar recording are available on the Grants webpage, or by clicking the blue button below. 

Learn More & Apply by Dec 7, 2022 at 5pm

Statewide OER Workshop: Explore the Multilingual/English Learner Resource Bank: 12/8

To celebrate the launch of the Multilingual/English Learner Resource Bank, the Oregon Open Learning team will host a statewide OER workshop on Thursday, December 8th from 4:00 - 5:30 pm (PST). Join us to learn more about this new collection of resources that meet the rigorous standards of the Oregon OER Quality Framework and serve as exemplars of culturally responsive instruction, intentionally designed to support multilingual learners. This virtual workshop will be an interactive professional learning event that will provide an introduction to the Hub and time to explore these new resources.  

Register for the event here and share the opportunity with your colleagues. Contact the Oregon Open Learning Team at OregonOpenLearning@ode.oregon.gov with any questions. Sign up to receive the Oregon Open Learning quarterly newsletter. 

Healthy Teen Network is seeking a full-time Human-Centered Researcher to join their Innovation and Research team and utilize their research skills to uncover meaningful insights in the field of adolescent sexual and reproductive health. 

Healthy Teen Network is also hiring a full-time Project Coordinator to support numerous projects as well as coordinator events, monitor and provide guidance and serve as the liaison for external stakeholders. 

Multnomah County is hiring a Community & Adolescent Health Program Supervisor to oversee day-to-day functions of Community and Adolescent Health violence prevention activities.