HB 19-1032-Amend: Comprehensive Human Sexuality Education (Senate Amendment L.129 AND House REPASS)

The bill moves provisions of the statutory legislative declaration to a nonstatutory legislative declaration. The bill clarifies content requirements for public schools that offer comprehensive human sexuality education and prohibits instruction from explicitly or implicitly teaching or endorsing religious ideology or sectarian tenets or doctrines, using shame-based or stigmatizing language or instructional tools, employing gender norms or gender stereotypes, or excluding the relational or sexual experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender individuals. Current law provides for a comprehensive human sexuality education grant program. The bill amends certain provisions of the grant program to: Require the department of public health and environment to submit an annual report concerning the outcomes of the grant program indefinitely; Add 8 representatives to the oversight entity and require membership of the oversight entity to be comprised of at least 7 members who are members of groups of people who have been or might be discriminated against; Require grant applicants to demonstrate a need for money to implement comprehensive human sexuality education; and Require that rural public schools or public schools that do not currently offer comprehensive human sexuality education receive priority when selecting grant applicants. The bill provides a general appropriation of at least $1 million annually for the grant program. The bill prohibits the state board of education from waiving the content requirements for any public school that provides comprehensive human sexuality education. NOTE: The original version of this bill passed by the House made this law un-waivable. Meaning charters and other schools could not submit a waiver to not follow this law. The bill did not require teaching comprehensive sexual education only that if this course was taught that a school/district could not teach abstinence only. Allowing a waiver process means that a school/district can submit a waiver that would allow abstinence only.

CEA supports the core concepts in this bill especially a focus on national best practices and standards that are developed out of research (and in this case medically) accurate and validated ways. CEA also believes all schools need to have tranparency and accountability to stakeholders and that there should be equity in the rules and laws that schools must follow. The final version of this bill allows for charter schools and other schools/districts to apply for a waiver from the law, as a result schools could continue to teach abstinence only. CEA opposes instructional practices that are in direct contrast to research based best practices.

NOTE: CEA supports comprehensive human sexuality curriculum however the decision to allow for waivers to this law is in conflict with CEA's support of transparency and accountability for all schools. As well as ensuring that all schools are held to the same standards.