Environmental Education

The Board of Education recognizes that schools play a crucial role in educating students about the importance of the environment and in preparing them to be stewards of natural resources. The Board believes that students should value the environment, respect all life forms, understand the basic ecological principles which support the planet, and live an ecologically responsible life-style. The Superintendent or designee shall develop an environmental education program that is aligned with state academic standards and curriculum frameworks. The Superintendent or designee shall determine how the district's environmental education program will be integrated into the district's science curriculum and other subjects and courses in which the concepts may be explicitly and systematically taught. The goal of the district's environmental education program shall be to provide students with an understanding of the interactions and interdependence of human societies and natural systems, people's dependence and influence on natural systems, the ways that natural systems change and how people can benefit and influence that change, the fact that there are no boundaries to prevent matter from flowing between systems, and the fact that decisions affecting resources and natural systems are complex and involve many factors. The district's program shall emphasize a coordination of instructional resources with active student participation in onsite resource conservation and management programs and the promotion of service learning partnerships.