D.C. board of
education calls for better HIV instruction

The District of Columbia board of education has called for the district's health education curriculum to be revised by the end of the year to include better, more extensive instruction on how to prevent the spread of HIV, The Washington Examiner reports. There are currently no standards on HIV instruction or tracking systems in place to determine which students have received HIV prevention education. The board recommended that school superintendent Clifford Janey hire a cabinet-level health administrator to revise the curriculum and ensure that all schools in the district provide adequate HIV information.

"This policy is way overdue, especially with the district having what is believed to be the highest rate of new AIDS cases in any major U.S. city," board president Peggy Cooper Cafritz said in a statement. "It is imperative to provide our young people in D.C. schools with the skills and information to protect themselves." (Advocate.com)