Is Climate Change is an Urgent Women’s Health Issue?
Do you have kids in school? Do you know what they're being taught on a daily basis? The Washington State Department of Health has published what it says are "free classroom learning materials" for teachers throughout the state. The materials teach students "“climate change is an urgent women’s health concern,” and “racism is a major public health challenge as well.”
Teachers may find the material
According to the department of health website teachers are being told that using the curriculum will qualify for professional licensing requirements.
Critics, like those from the Washington Policy Center say the information "push students to reach the pre-determined conclusions about the climate that DOH employees prefer."
Students learn in five different lessons about climate change and its impact
It's called the Washington Tracking Network and it's the "nation’s first Environmental Public Health Tracking program to create high school level learning materials." Officials with the Department of Health partnered with the Puget Sound Educational Service District to offer the free information which give students five different lessons giving them what the department calls a unique "look at the intersection of climate change and health."
“Students can dig into areas of health, climate, and socioeconomic data that interest them,” says Lauren Jenks, Environmental Public Health Assistant Secretary. “Using WTN tools and real data, they can see what is most impacting their region, differences between communities, and how factors are interconnected.”