HF 1301

as introduced - 84th Legislature (2005 - 2006) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

A bill for an act
relating to education; providing for comprehensive
family life and sexuality education programs;
proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes,
chapter 121A; repealing Minnesota Statutes 2004,
section 121A.23.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

new text begin [121A.231] COMPREHENSIVE FAMILY LIFE AND
SEXUALITY EDUCATION PROGRAMS.
new text end

new text begin Subdivision 1. new text end

new text begin Definitions. new text end

new text begin (a) "Comprehensive family
life and sexuality education" means education in grades 7
through 12 that:
new text end

new text begin (1) respects community values and encourages family
communication;
new text end

new text begin (2) develops skills in communication, decision making, and
conflict resolution;
new text end

new text begin (3) contributes to healthy relations;
new text end

new text begin (4) provides human development and sexuality education that
is age appropriate and medically accurate;
new text end

new text begin (5) promotes responsible sexual behavior, including
abstinence, use of protection, and contraception; and
new text end

new text begin (6) promotes individual responsibility.
new text end

new text begin (b) "Age appropriate" refers to topics, messages, and
teaching methods suitable to particular ages or age groups of
children and adolescents, based on developing cognitive,
emotional, and behavioral capacity typical for the age or age
group.
new text end

new text begin (c) "Medically accurate" means verified or supported by
research conducted in compliance with scientific methods and
published in peer-reviewed journals, where appropriate, and
recognized as accurate and objective by professional
organizations and agencies in the relevant field, such as the
federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American
Public Health Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics,
or the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 2. new text end

new text begin Curriculum requirements. new text end

new text begin (a) A school district
may offer and may independently establish policies, procedures,
curriculum, and services for providing comprehensive family life
and sexuality education that is age appropriate and medically
accurate for kindergarten through grade 6.
new text end

new text begin (b) A school district must offer and may independently
establish policies, procedures, curriculum, and services for
providing comprehensive family life and sexuality education that
is age appropriate and medically accurate for grades 7 through
12.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 3. new text end

new text begin Notice and parental options. new text end

new text begin (a) It is the
legislature's intent to encourage pupils to communicate with
their parents or guardians about human sexuality and to respect
rights of parents or guardians to supervise their children's
education on these subjects.
new text end

new text begin (b) Parents or guardians may excuse their children from all
or part of a comprehensive family life and sexuality education
program.
new text end

new text begin (c) A school district must establish policies and
procedures for providing parents or guardians reasonable notice
with the following information:
new text end

new text begin (1) if the district is offering a comprehensive family life
and sexuality education program to the parents' or guardians'
child during the course of the year;
new text end

new text begin (2) how the parents or guardians may inspect the written
and audio/visual educational materials used in the program and
the process for inspection;
new text end

new text begin (3) if the program is presented by school district
personnel or outside consultants, and if outside consultants are
used, who they may be; and
new text end

new text begin (4) parents' or guardians' right to choose not to have
their child participate in the program and the procedure for
exercising that right.
new text end

new text begin (d) A school district must establish policies and
procedures for reasonably restricting the availability of
written and audio/visual educational materials from public view
of students who have been excused from all or part of a
comprehensive family life and sexuality education program at the
request of a parent or guardian.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 4. new text end

new text begin Assistance to school districts. new text end

new text begin (a) The
Department of Education may offer services to school districts
to help them implement effective comprehensive family life and
sexuality education programs. In providing these services, the
department may contract with a school district, or a school
district in partnership with a local health agency or a
nonprofit organization, to establish up to eight regional
training sites, taking into account geographical balance, to
provide:
new text end

new text begin (1) training for teachers, parents, and community members
in the development of comprehensive family life and sexuality
education curriculum or services and in planning for monitoring
and evaluation activities;
new text end

new text begin (2) resource staff persons to provide expert training,
curriculum development and implementation, and evaluation
services;
new text end

new text begin (3) technical assistance to promote and coordinate
community, parent, and youth forums in communities identified as
having high needs for comprehensive family life and sexuality
education;
new text end

new text begin (4) technical assistance for issue management and policy
development training for school boards, superintendents,
principals, and administrators across the state; and
new text end

new text begin (5) funding for grants to school-based comprehensive family
life and sexuality education programs to promote innovation and
to recognize outstanding performance and promote replication of
demonstrably effective strategies.
new text end

new text begin (b) Technical assistance provided by the department to
school districts or regional training sites may:
new text end

new text begin (1) promote instruction and use of materials that are age
appropriate;
new text end

new text begin (2) provide information that is medically accurate and
objective;
new text end

new text begin (3) provide instruction and promote use of materials that
are respectful of marriage and commitments in relationships;
new text end

new text begin (4) provide instruction and promote use of materials that
are appropriate for use with pupils and family experiences based
on race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnic and cultural
background, and appropriately accommodate alternative learning
based on language or disability;
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new text begin (5) provide instruction and promote use of materials that
encourage pupils to communicate with their parents or guardians
about human sexuality;
new text end

new text begin (6) provide instruction and promote use of age-appropriate
materials that teach abstinence from sexual intercourse as the
only certain way to prevent unintended pregnancy or sexually
transmitted infections, including HIV, and provide information
about the role and value of abstinence while also providing
medically accurate information on other methods of preventing
and reducing risk for unintended pregnancy and sexually
transmitted infections;
new text end

new text begin (7) provide instruction and promote use of age-appropriate
materials that are medically accurate in explaining transmission
modes, risks, symptoms, and treatments for sexually transmitted
infections, including HIV;
new text end

new text begin (8) provide instruction and promote use of age-appropriate
materials that address varied societal views on sexuality,
sexual behaviors, pregnancy, and sexually transmitted
infections, including HIV, in an age-appropriate manner;
new text end

new text begin (9) provide instruction and promote use of age-appropriate
materials that provide information about the effectiveness and
safety of all FDA-approved methods for preventing and reducing
risk for unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted
infections, including HIV;
new text end

new text begin (10) provide instruction and promote use of age-appropriate
materials that provide instruction in skills for making and
implementing responsible decisions about sexuality;
new text end

new text begin (11) provide instruction and promote use of age-appropriate
materials that provide instruction in skills for making and
implementing responsible decisions about finding and using
health services; and
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new text begin (12) provide instruction and promote use of age-appropriate
materials that do not teach or promote religious doctrine nor
reflect or promote bias against any person on the basis of any
category protected under the Minnesota Human Rights Act, chapter
363A.
new text end

Sec. 2. new text begin REPEALER.
new text end

new text begin Minnesota Statutes 2004, section 121A.23, is repealed.
new text end