January 7. 03

Dear Parents and/or Guardians of _________________________________, (name of student)

Our Health Professions class has recently received a small grant. It gives us an opportunity to carry out a "public health assessment" for our immediate community. Research (studies and data), and the tools of research (interviewing, taking notes, background study, developing questions, quantifying, graphing, identifying trends, writing report) are an important part of any medical, or health-related field. They are skills that your children can use in many professions.

Rates for two dangerous conditions called STDs - Chlamydia and HPV - are dramatically increasing among high school students across the country. You may have noticed that this health concern recently has been in the news. Public Health professionals (from local colleges and agencies) have been invited to our class to speak about their approach, methods and concerns. Students research these problems and will be asked to look for trends among their community of teens. Then, they will conduct interviews and surveys. Their task will be to find the best ways to learn about the students' day-to-day ideas and behaviors that lead to both this health risk.
We shall find out: Why are some students from the same community able to stay healthy? We will take what we learn to develop a video and an informational brochure that will help Brighton High students make the best choices to ensure their health and well-being. We will make presentations to other classes.

If you have concerns or questions about your son or daughter participating in this project, or feel they should not participate, please contact me immediately so we can discuss the matter further, and or develop an alternative plan for them. Thanks so much -

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Andrea Doremus ________________________________________
617-635-9873 (signature of parent or guardian)