The Legislature finds and declares that although many of the communicable diseases and environmental hazards which plagued earlier generations have been controlled, major health problems and hazards are prevalent among today’s school-age children and youth including the abuse of alcohol, narcotics, and tobacco; emotional instability; forced marriage; self-medication; dental caries; nutritional disorders; suicide; and accidents.
The Legislature finds and declares that an adequate health education program in the public schools is essential to continued progress and improvement in the quality of public health in this state, and the Legislature further believes that comprehensive health education, taught by properly trained persons, is effective in the prevention of disease and disability.
It is further the intent of the Legislature that, to the maximum extent possible, the present state-funded projects in the school health unit of the Department of Education shall be redirected to carrying out the provisions of this chapter and maximum use shall be made of existing state and federal funds in the implementation of comprehensive health education.