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2022 EDUCATION EDITION
Since the 2019-20 school year, the Williamson County Children’s Advocacy Center has led classroom instruction for the Play It Safe curriculum. The WCCAC will instruct the new course Love146 in 2022-23. What does the WCCAC do?
health classes. This curriculum is optional and will not a ect the stu- dent’s required health credit. According to GISD Counseling Ser- vices, this new instruction will help the district continue prioritizing students’ mental, emotional and physical health as well as their safety and security. “These programs will provide important information for students that can help them become more situa- tionally aware for themselves and oth- ers,” SHAC co-Chair Mindy Petty said. New year, new lessons GISD Director of Counselor Services David Rainey said the law not only requires parents be noti ed of the Love146 instruction, but they also have the chance to review the material and the right to remove their student from any part of the instruction if desired. “These topics are important, not only to the state of Texas, but to our local community,” Rainey said. “I believe our SHAC gave thoughtful con- sideration to the curriculum we recom- mended and that the board approved.” GISD’s SHAC is an advisory group composed of individuals who repre- sent a variety of segments across the community, Rainey said. The group acts to provide input on various aspects of the district’s health and wellness program, including the instruction required by SB 9. WCCAC Community & Engagement Director Tori Algiere said Love146 is tailored to provide youth with infor- mation and skills in a manner that inspires them to make safe choices. It is a ve-part, 50-minute module designed for students 12-18 years old and will be taught throughout the year. “Children will learn to identify and utilize healthy support systems that may decrease their vulnerabilities through Love146,” Algiere said. Rainey said GISD has o ered human sexuality and dating violence instruc- tion at the middle and high school level for several years now, but districtwide student instruction on human tra ck- ing was not included. Rainey said the SHAC recommended the human sexuality class still be o ered in the 2022-23 school year and to add Love146 to all eighth grade and high school-level health classes as well as the health science class in partner- ship with the WCCAC. Other considerations pertaining to the instruction of dating violence and tra cking approved by the SHAC
includes instructional options beyond health classes, deter- mining an alternative plan for health class credits and expanding learning opportunities to sta . exploring GISD established an o cial partner- ship with WCCAC in 2020-21 so cer- ti ed personnel are in the classroom teaching relationship and body safety lessons. Additionally, Rainey said the Love146 curriculum was vetted by subject area experts and is supported through grant funding for training by the Texas O ce of the Attorney General. “Even though our attorney gen- eral o ce cannot necessarily say they support one program or another, the SHAC felt assured to know that this is a program that the attorney general has provided grants for people to be specif- ically trained in,” Rainey said. Taught by professionals Having WCCAC professionals teach the Love146 curriculum is an expan- sion of an existing partnership. Since the 2019-20 school year, the WCCAC has taught the Play it Safe curriculum—a body safety course designed to teach elementary school children how to be safe from abuse including physical, sexual, emotional or neglect. Since then, the partnership has been renewed each year. “Most recently the SHAC suggested that we continue our partnership and since this might not be the only time students want to receive that instruc- tion, they hope we would eventually explore a deeper approach with the developmental spectrum,” Rainey said. In 2019-20, the Play it Safe curric- ulum was only available to rst, third and fth graders. In 2020-21 material delivery was expanded to kindergar- ten through fth grades. Now, in 2022- 23, GISD is considering integrating the class at the secondary level. “We are aware that this is a great cur- riculum, but we are also aware that any curriculum taught is also impacting instructional time—so the idea that the board can at least approve the curricu- lum, it helps us as a district to make a determination and how we can begin integrating the material into the middle and high school levels,” Rainey said. The WCCAC hosts a learning night every semester to allow parents to ask speci c questions and learn about the course. This year’s session will be held
OPT-IN GISD INSTRUCTION
OTHER WCCAC TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES INCLUDE: • Circle of Security: an eight-week parenting program on how to build a strong relationship with one’s children • The Birds, The Bees & Beyond Wondering: a class on how to talk to one’s children about personal relationships and sex • Empowering Youth: a program to help caregivers navigate conversations about healthy relationships and boundaries • Recognizing & Reporting Child Abuse: a course highlighting the complex dynamics of child abuse and neglect
Love146: Not a Number: an interactive child tra cking and exploitation prevention curriculum designed to provide students ages 12-18 with information and skills that inspire them to make safe choices Play It Safe: the curriculum consists of scripts and videos to teach students how to reduce their risk of physical abuse and sexual assault. Each grade level’s curriculum is tailored to be age appropriate
Number of youth and professionals trained by the WCCAC
13,412
2021
2022 47,812
IN THE CLASSROOM The GISD Counselor Services team tracks the number of students who participate in the opt-in body safety instruction in order to measure its e ectiveness.
Number of parents who have preliminarily opted-in for body safety instruction 2022-23 3,100 students in grades pre-K-5 Number of parents who have preliminarily opted in for human tra cking instruction 2022-23 2,200 students in grades 8-12
Number of students receiving body safety curriculum via the WCCAC 2019-20 2,400 students in grades 3-5 Number of students receiving body safety curriculum via the WCCAC 2020-21 5,200 students in grades pre-K-5
SOURCES: GEORGETOWN ISD, WILLIAMSON COUNTY CHILDREN’S ADVOCACY CENTER COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
toward the beginning of the school year. Algiere said the mission of the WCCAC is to provide hope, healing and justice for children and fami- lies impacted by abuse, violence and exploitation. “Education is a pivotal component in achieving our mission,” Algiere said. “WCCAC has proudly worked along- side GISD to empower students to rec- ognize potentially dangerous or unsafe situations and identify trusted adults in their life to access help.” Algiere also said the organization
hosts free training outside of school on topics including how caregivers can navigate conversations with youth about boundaries, and how to iden- tify child abuse and neglect. “While educating children is critical, we also must continue to empower trust in adults around our community with the skill to recog- nize and respond to child abuse,” Algiere said.
For more information, visit communityimpact.com .
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GEORGETOWN EDITION • AUGUST 2022
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