Laws, Policies, and Standards

In June 1972, President Nixon signed Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 into law. The Department of Justice outlines Title IX as a "comprehensive federal law that has removed many barriers that once prevented people, on the basis of sex, from participating in educational opportunities and careers of their choice. It states that: No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance."

PPS has a Title IX webpage outlining related board policies, recommended resources, and team contact information. A portion of Title IX in Oregon is focused on Supporting Gender Expansive Students. The Oregon Equality Act similarly protects the rights of gender expansive students. You can learn more about available supports protected by this law at pps.net/lgbtq, including the Gender Identity Support Guide and Student Name and/or Gender Marker Change Form.

On October 19, 2023, the State Board voted to link requirements of the Menstrual Dignity for Students Rules (OAR 581-021-0590 and OAR 581-021-0593) to Division 22 with the adoption of a new rule, OAR 581-022-2515. While the new Division 22 rule does not change the requirements or intention of the original MDA, it enhances ODE’s ability to provide technical support to schools and districts in their efforts to provide menstrual product options that are free and privately accessible to all students.

The MDA helps to center student equity and menstrual dignity by requiring that school districts provide free menstrual products for all menstruating students in public schools, including elementary, middle, and high school students. Since the passing of this Act, ODE has compiled a Menstrual Dignity for Students Toolkit which outlines requirements and recommendations for districts as they implement this in their schools.

The Health and Physical Education department partnered with Facilities to ensure menstrual products were available in every student restroom across the district. Signage regarding the products are posted in bathrooms in both English and Spanish. PPS students receive puberty education including information on menstrual products beginning in fourth grade.

SB 52, also known as "Adi's Act", was passed in Oregon in 2019. This legislation required each school district to adopt a policy requiring a comprehensive district plan on student suicide prevention for students in kindergarten through grade 12. The plan had to include procedures relating to suicide prevention, intervention and activities that reduce risk and promote healing after a suicide.

PPS Board Policy 4.30.050-P outlines the district plan for suicide prevention, including mental health and youth suicide prevention education for students. Health & PE is committed to the mental health and safety of our students. 

The suicide prevention education we provide begins in Kindergarten in our Social, Emotional, and Mental Health unit. Lessons on identifying and processing emotions, personal boundaries, coping strategies, active listening skills, and external influences are taught throughout Kindergarten through 4th grade building a strong foundation for productive conversations around mental health & well-being in the older grades. Beginning in 5th grade, students begin curricula explicitly designed with suicide prevention and managing suicidality in mind. You can learn more about the materials we use in middle and high school at https://erikaslighthouse.org/.

In July of 2015, the Oregon Senate passed a bill on Sex Abuse Prevention Instruction (SB 856), commonly referred to as "Erin's Law." Subsequently, the State Board passed changes to Division 22 which requires "a minimum of 4 instructional sessions (equal to or greater than a standard class period) of sex abuse prevention instruction per year for grades kindergarten through 12." You can read more about the requirements of Erin's Law here.

Violence Prevention education is provided annually for all students K-8. In high school, most students take health for a single year, which includes a unit on violence prevention. For the three years that students are not in health class, PPS partnered with Raphael House of Portland to build out 4 asynchronous lessons per grade band on sex abuse prevention. Our team is continuing to work with the other high school content areas to determine the best way to ensure these lessons are reaching students outside of health class.

The Every Student Belongs rule prohibits hate symbols, specifically three of the most recognizable symbols of hate in the U.S. - the swastika (outside of a religious context), the Confederate flag, and the noose - except where used in teaching curricula that are aligned with the Oregon State Standards. This rule had been in effect and unchanged since October 26, 2021. You can review OAR 581-022-2312 and ODE's initial guidance for more information. The Office of Student Support Services houses additional information on Portland Public Schools' commitment to student safety and belonging.

ORS 339.366, AKA the Healthy Teens Relationship Act, requires age-appropriate education on teen dating & domestic violence in grades 7 through 12. These important violence prevention requirements are being met through HAPE's adopted Violence Prevention curricula. In middle school, "Building Foundations for Healthy Relationships," created by local organization Cares NW, is disseminated to students. Lesson topics include healthy relationships, boundaries, and consent. This arc of learning is continued in high school with a curriculum from the NEST Foundation.

ORS 339 on School Attendance defines harassment, intimidation, bullying, and cyber-bullying. You can view ODE's Guidance on the Issue of Bullying (2025) for more information. PPS' Board Policy on Non-Discrimination/Anti-Harassment is also linked for your convenience.

Subsections of this statute also require school districts to incorporate into existing training programs for students and school employees information related to the prevention of, and the appropriate response to, acts of harassment, intimidation and bullying and acts of cyberbullying. This is backed by OAR 581-022-2310 on equal education opportunities.

PPS students receive five lessons of instruction on bullying prevention as a part of their Healthy Relationships & Violence Prevention unit Kindergarten through 5th grade. Middle and high school health education continues this arc of learning with activities related to building healthy relationships and interpersonal communication.

ORS 336.455 outlines Human Sexuality Education for Oregon, and requires that each school district provides "age-appropriate human sexuality education courses in all public elementary and secondary schools as an integral part of the health education curriculum." This revised statute includes a list of requirements, including medical accuracy, comprehensiveness, information about responsible sexual behaviors and hygienic practices, characteristics of a healthy relationship, discussion around sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and human immunodeficiency virus, and promoting abstinence as the only method that is 100% effective against unintended pregnancy and STIs.

OAR 581-022-2050 on Human Sexuality Education includes definitions of key terms and outlines important requirements, such as the need for school districts to "provide an age-appropriate, comprehensive plan of instruction focusing on human sexuality education, HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections and disease prevention in elementary and secondary schools." Age-appropriate instruction on the topics of HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted infections and disease prevention, and human sexuality must be delivered "at least annually for all students' grades 6-8, and at least twice during grades 9-12."

PPS' K-12 growth & development curriculum is Rights, Respect, Responsibility, a comprehensive sexuality education curriculum from Advocates for Youth which has been adapted to meet Oregon state standards. Some middle school teachers may choose to teach Get Real, a HealthSmart curriculum adapted by the Multnomah Education Service District for county schools. Our high school violence prevention curriculum also includes age-appropriate instruction on sexuality education to meet state requirements. To learn more about these curricula and when you can expect to be notified about their instruction, please visit our Health Education K-12 tab.

Have more questions about sexuality education in Oregon? ODE has published a Sex Ed FAQ you can access here.

OAR 581-022-2045, a part of Division 22, states that "each school district shall develop a comprehensive plan for alcohol and drug abuse prevention program which shall include [...] instruction in the effects of tobacco, alcohol, and drugs including anabolic steroids, performance-enhancing and controlled substances, as an integral part of the district's K–12 comprehensive health education program."

At least nine lessons on Substance Use, Misuse, and Abuse Prevention are taught annually to students in grades K-8, excluding grade 7. These lessons slowly build from safety rules on poisons and medicines, to making healthy choices and resisting peer pressure, to the effects of alcohol on the developing brain. In 7th grade, ODE's lesson on fentanyl (see SB 238 below) is administered. While instruction on the effects of controlled substances is not a focal point of the seventh grade health curriculum, lessons on positive body image, mental health, and getting help from a trusted adult are. This decision came from student feedback and data trends around depression and suicidal ideation in Portland youth & young adults, beginning around the ages of 12 & 13.

High school students receive instruction from Stanford Reach Lab's Safety First curriculum, which reviews various stimulants, depressants, and hallucinogens from a harm reduction approach, which highlights school & local drug policies as well as the effects of these substances on the brain. According to the OAR, "at least annually, all high school students, grades 9–12 shall receive age-appropriate instruction about drug and alcohol prevention." For the three years that students are not in health class, there is currently not a formalized system in place for high school students to receive substance use, misuse, and abuse prevention education. Conversations between the HAPE team and high school administrators are ongoing.

SB 238, passed in 2024, requires all Oregon school districts to implement "one of the ODE Synthetic Opioid Prevention Lessons at each grade level (6, 7, 8 and at least once in high school)." These fentanyl lessons are a part of our MS & HS curricula, and are taught during our Substance Use, Misuse, & Abuse Prevention units.

OAR 581-022-2060 directs districts to provide a coordinated comprehensive school counseling program to support the academic, career, social-emotional, and community involvement development of each and every student. These requirements are being met by Student Success & Health. You can access their website here.

SB 79, effective in 2015, cites instruction in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automated defibrillators as integral parts of a health education curriculum for students in grades 7-12. Portland Public Schools currently teaches students CPR and associated skills in Health 1, which is taught to most PPS high school students their freshman or sophomore year.

As of July 1st, 2025 all school districts must provide age-appropriate instruction in oral health to be in compliance with ORS 336.473. The Healthy Teeth Bright Futures curriculum was designed to help Oregon school districts fulfill these statutory requirements.

Students need to learn, practice, and apply skills successfully, numerous times, with positive reinforcement and social support, in order to enhance and maintain their own and others’ personal health and safety. At Portland Public Schools, our Health Education curricular scope & sequence draws upon three different sets of standards that outline what students should know and be able to do by the end of each grade level, with an emphasis on skill development:

• The Oregon Health Education Standards
  • List form
  • Learning progression
• The National Health Education Standards (link)
• The National Sexuality Education Standards (link)

As students participate in health education, they develop skills, practice problem solving, assess risks, learn facts, and build their understanding of complex health concepts and issues. The topics included in PPS Health Education address Oregon State mandates and PPS Policies, are designed to prevent the priority youth health-risk behaviors identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and meet Oregon State laws and standards related to Health Education.