2016 Colorado Revised Statutes
Title 22 - Education
Compensatory Education
Article 25 - Colorado Comprehensive Health Education Act
§ 22-25-103. Definitions

As used in this article, unless the context otherwise requires:

(1) "Colorado comprehensive health education program" means the program created by section 22-25-104 (1) for the purpose of encouraging the teaching of comprehensive health education for the students of the schools in Colorado.

(2) "Commissioner" means the office of the commissioner of education created and existing pursuant to section 1 of article IX of the state constitution.

(3) "Comprehensive health education" means a planned, sequential health program of learning experiences in preschool, kindergarten, and grades one through twelve which shall include, but shall not be limited to, the following topics:

(a) Communicable diseases, including, but not limited to, acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) related illness;

(b) Community and environmental health;

(c) Consumer health;

(d) Dental health;

(e) Tobacco, alcohol, and other drug use;

(f) Human growth and development;

(g) Hereditary and developmental conditions;

(h) Mental and emotional health;

(i) Nutrition, personal health, and physical fitness;

(j) Family life education;

(k) Injury prevention, safety, motor vehicle safety, and emergency care;

(l) High-risk behaviors and concerns; and

(m) Age appropriate instruction on family roles and expectations, child development, and parenting.

(3.1) "Culturally sensitive" means the integration of knowledge about individuals and groups of people into specific standards, requirements, policies, practices, and attitudes used to increase the quality of services. "Culturally sensitive" includes resources, references, and information that are meaningful to the experiences and needs of communities of color; immigrant communities; lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities; people with physical or intellectual disabilities; people who have experienced sexual victimization; and others whose experiences have traditionally been left out of sexual health education, programs, and policies.

(3.2) "Evidence-based program" means a program that:

(a) Was evaluated using a rigorous research design, including:

(I) Measuring knowledge, attitude, and behavior;

(II) Having an adequate sample size;

(III) Using sound research methods and processes;

(IV) Replicating in different locations and finding similar evaluation results; and

(V) Publishing results in a peer-reviewed journal;

(b) Research has shown to be effective in changing at least one of the following behaviors that contribute to early pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, including HIV:

(I) Delaying sexual initiation;

(II) Reducing the frequency of sexual intercourse;

(III) Reducing the number of sexual partners; or

(IV) Increasing the use of condoms and other contraceptives.

(3.3) "Facility school" means an approved facility school as defined in section 22-2-402 (1).

(3.5) "Gang" means a group of three or more individuals with a common interest, bond, or activity characterized by criminal or delinquent conduct, engaged in either collectively or individually.

(4) "High-risk behaviors" means actions by children and adolescents which present a danger to their physical or mental health or which may impede their ability to lead healthy and productive lives. "High-risk behaviors" includes, but is not limited to, dropping out of school, incest and other sexual activity with adults, sexual activity by school aged children, physical and mental abuse, violence, and use of tobacco, alcohol, or other drugs.

(4.5) "Law-related education program" means an educational program for teaching nonlawyers about law, the legal system, and the fundamental principles and values on which our constitutional democracy is based, which program's approach is characterized by relevant curriculum materials, interactive teaching strategies, and extensive use of community resource persons and experience.

(5) "Local comprehensive health education program" means a health education program instituted by a school board, board of cooperative services, or facility school in accordance with the requirements of this article.

(5.5) "Local student wellness program" means a program adopted by a school district, board of cooperative services, or facility school that is coordinated with health education and is designed to provide services to students in one or more of the following areas:

(a) Physical education;

(b) Nutrition services;

(c) Mental health counseling and services;

(d) Promotion of a healthy school environment;

(e) Health education;

(f) Health services;

(g) Involvement of students' families and communities in supporting and reinforcing healthy choices.

(5.7) "Positive youth development" means an approach that emphasizes the many positive attributes of young people and focuses on developing inherent strengths and assets to promote health. Positive youth development is culturally sensitive, inclusive of all youth, collaborative, and strength-based.

(6) "State board" means the state board of education created pursuant to section 1 of article IX of the state constitution.