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Consistent with New Hampshire Department of Education requirements, health and physical education, including instruction about parts of the body, reproduction, and related topics, will be included in the instructional program.

Instruction must be appropriate to grade level, course of study, and development of students and must occur in a systematic manner.  The Superintendent will require that faculty members who present this instruction receive continuing in-service training, which includes appropriate teaching strategies and techniques.

Parents/guardians will have the right to inspect health and physical instruction materials which will be made reasonably accessible to parents/guardians and others to the extent practicable.

Parents and legal guardians shall be notified by e-mail, other written means, website/social media postings or phone call, not less than two (2) weeks in advance of use of the curriculum course material to be used for instruction of human sexuality or human sexual education, that the material is available for inspection at the school.  The notice will identify and provide contact information for the member of staff or faculty whom a parent or guardian should contact to arrange an opportunity to inspect the curriculum course material.

Parents/guardians who wish to review or inspect health and physical education materials may arrange a meeting with the Principal to review the materials.

Opt-Out Procedure and Form

Parents/guardians, or students over eighteen years of age, who do not want their child to participate in a particular unit of health or sex education instruction for religious reasons or religious objections, are allowed to have their child opt-out of such instruction.

Parents/guardians who wish to have their child opt-out of such instruction are required to complete the Manchester School District opt-out form and state the particular unit of curriculum in which the student is not to participate.  Any student who is exempted by request of the parent/guardian under this policy may be given an alternative assignment sufficient to meet state requirements for health education.  The alternative assignment will be provided by the health or physical education teacher in conjunction with the Principal.

Parents/guardians who do not want their child to participate in a particular unit of health or physical education for religious reasons must complete a Health or Physical Education Opt-Out Form. 

Opt-Out Forms are available from either the health education teacher or the Principal.

Opt-out requests will be good for kindergarten through twelfth grade unless the parents submit a request to opt in. 

In accordance with the federal Protection of Pupil Rights statute, as a School District that receives federal Department of Education funds, the Superintendent shall develop procedures to allow parent/guardian of a student to inspect any instructional material used as part of the educational curriculum for the student.  The procedures will provide reasonable access to instructional material within a reasonable period of time after the request is received.

Legal References:

20 U.S.C §1232h, (c)(1)(C), Protection of Pupil Rights

RSA 186:11, IX-c & IX-e Notice to Parents/Guardian Required

NH Code of Administrative Rules, Section Ed 306.40, Health Education Program

NH Code of Administrative Rules, Section Ed 306.41, Physical Education Program

RSA 186:11, IX-b, Health and Sex Education

Appendix IHAM-R, Health or Physical Education Opt-Out Form

Revised: September 2017

New Policy:  September 2008

NHSBA note, September 2017:  The 2017 update adds a new fourth paragraph requiring notice to parents and guardians in response to 2017 House Bill 103, Laws of 2017 Chapter 9, which added a requirement that advance notice of no less than two (2) weeks be given of curriculum course material to be used for instruction of human sexuality or human sexual education.  The last paragraph applies only for School Districts that receive federal funds administered by the federal Department of Education.  It addresses a requirement in the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA), that Local Education Agencies adopt a policy that permits parents to inspect instructional material. 

NHSBA Code IHAM

First Reading Coordination: 8/14/2018

Second Reading and. Approval BOSC: 08/27/2018