Currently,  students who are currently in PGCPS county high schools are required to complete a half-credit course in Health Education which is only half a semester to graduate and to talk about the necessities and requirements that students need to know about.

   PHS has  more than 2,000 students. Health class, especially mental and menstrual health isn’t talked about very much. We talked to a few students about their opinion on how long should Health class be? And how much they know about their health.

      As we go through some student’s answers 80% of them says they don’t know much about and had to search in google for answers, while others say Parkdale high didn’t teach them or talk about most of the topics they should like menstrual and mental health most students say that their previous schools talked about it with enough amount of time but parkdale sometime skip through some certain topic.

   In an interview with Ms Henderson, a health teacher from Parkdale high to know more about how long she thinks health class should be and what the syllabus for health class covers ? As she listed some of the most important units she teaches like “analyzing influences, accessing valid and reliable health information, interpersonal communication, decision making and goal setting, self management and advocacy which each unit normally takes about 2 to 3 weeks to go over thoroughly” She said. 

     Most units have more than 3 topics for instance:: verbal and non verbal communication, CPR, first aid etc takes the least to cover given the period of time is not enough. Although some students think that health class is just for the grade, many think it is important to them even when it comes to other circumstances. In the way we are living anything can happen and student should be prepare for the outcome, I was concerned if there is or will be any plan of stating initiative or extra school activities for health class I questioned Ms Henderson, “currently there are not but if any students are interested in starting some group activities she will be more happy to assist” she state.s.

     A sophomore from Parkdale High  Afanwi Nkongsah, said “ I think health class in PHS should be taught for the whole school year because it gives students a sense of safety and belonging to know what is happening and to whom this also happened too with some problems like mental health issues, bipolar disorder, Post Traumatic Syndrome “PTSD” and get to share each other ideas and also learn from others experiences”. 

        Health classes should be a year class to incorporate more topics and activities for students to participate and know about their health. From  everydayhealth.com/self-care/ “In 2019 researchers published a self-care framework in The BMJ to specifically point out that in addition to self-care being the activities individuals do on their own to promote physical and emotional health, it also includes the ways that individuals interact with clinicians and healthcare systems to tend to physical and emotional health which is why the expansion of health class is needed.

       Health class should be prolonged for students to know what is ethical and unethical because most of them were taught how and why not to take drugs. 

    According to Ms Henderson, the incoming 9th grade class of 2025 will be the first class needing 2 semesters of health to graduate as a credit requirement. The first one will be Health Issues and after they pass that course they will be moving to another graduation required approach course.