Office of Student and Family Support (SFS)

Promoting Adolescent Health through School-Based HIV/STD Prevention and Surveillance

The following programs build and strengthen districts' capacity to employ evidence-based health promotion and disease prevention efforts designed to improve child and adolescent health, safe and support learning environments, and school success. The programs have an overarching goal of reducing teen birth rates, reducing HIV/STDs among adolescents, and providing school-based surveillance.

• School-Based HIV/STD Prevention: In cooperation with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)'s Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH), the Department supports eleven priority school districts to serve as HIV/STD prevention models, promoting child and adolescent health through evidence-based strategies to: develop exemplary sexual health education programs; increase student's access to key sexual health and other support services, particularly LGBT appropriate services; establish safe and supportive environments for students and staff; and implement policies and procedures related to safe and supportive environments, access to health services, and exemplary sexual health education.

• School-Based Surveillance: Funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Department collects data on youth and school health policies and practices through the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) and School Health Profiles (Profiles). The YRBS and Profiles are resources for both longitudinal and emerging data on adolescent health and school health policies and practices.

• Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP): In partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, this project integrates community and school services to deliver medically accurate, culturally proficient, age-appropriate comprehensive sexuality education to young people ages 10-19. The Department funds districts with the greatest disparities in educational and reproductive health outcomes to implement evidence based teen pregnancy prevention programs in middle schools. All programs are required to prepare young people for adulthood by implementing lessons and activities that address healthy relationships, adolescent development and financial literacy. This initiative is funded by the Family and Youth Services Bureau at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Last Updated: September 22, 2024