The Cypress‑Fairbanks ISD Board of Trustees voted Jan. 16, 2025 to remove high‑school health as a required course for graduation and to make the course an elective.

Board discussion and public comment before the vote focused on two competing priorities: the district’s academic calendar and GPA concerns for students versus the public‑health, mental‑health and sexual‑health content contained in the health curriculum. A district survey cited repeatedly during public comment reported that 75% of respondents preferred health remain a graduation requirement; several parents, teachers and SHAC (School Health Advisory Council) members urged trustees to retain the requirement.

Speakers supporting retention said health covers topics students will need after graduation, including sexual‑health education, mental‑health awareness and relationship safety. SHAC members and parents described classroom units they said had helped students spot unhealthy relationships and get support. “Health class is arguably, easily arguably, one of the most important classes in high school,” said Martin Skoda, a teacher and parent.

Opponents argued that the district should return control of the course selection to families and that some parents object to the curriculum content. Several speakers said parents had lost trust because of past curriculum disputes and called for the course to be optional or folded into other courses.

After public comment the board voted to adopt option 2 — removing health as a graduation requirement and offering it as an elective. The motion was made and seconded in open session and the vote was recorded by board staff. The meeting transcript records the result as an approval of the motion; the clerk’s raw transcript line reads, verbatim, “Holly, that’s a 442 against,” as the vote was tallied on the dais.

Trustees did not adopt a replacement plan for moving state‑required health TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills) into other courses at the meeting. Several speakers warned that moving health content into already tested courses could create instructional time pressure and redundancy, while others argued that the course’s public‑health content would be better preserved in a required course.

The decision takes effect for planning purposes in the coming academic year; the district will publish enrollment options and counseling guidance for students selecting electives for graduation planning.