St. Mary's County
Public Schools
Grade 5 Family Life/Human Sexuality
Family Life and Human Sexuality
Dear Parents and Guardians:
Your elementary student will be participating in a unit of study entitled Family Life and Human
Sexuality (FLHS), which will be taught by school staff. This unit will include topics such as:
- Puberty and Adolescent Sexual Development
- Healthy Relationships and Consent
- Human Reproductive Systems
- Menstruation
This unit, required by COMAR, and the corresponding materials of instruction have been
approved by the St. Mary’s County Board of Education on the recommendation of the Family
Life and Human Sexuality Advisory Committee. The topics and standards are taken directly
from the Maryland State Department of Education’s (MSDE) Comprehensive Health Education
Framework.
Parents have the option to opt-out their student(s) from this unit of study. Students not
participating will be provided appropriate alternative learning activities and/or assessments in
health education from their teacher. COMAR requires that your child still be taught about
menstruation even if you are opting them out of the other subjects. If opting out of FLHS, we
are providing you with an informational menstruation resource so you can share these with your
child as you choose.
Ask your student's school for a school-specific opt-out form.