HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 999        FILED ON: 1/19/2011

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 179

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Alice K. Wolf

_________________

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act relative to providing health education in schools.

_______________

PETITION OF:

 

Name:

District/Address:

Date Added:

Ruth B. Balser

12th Middlesex

1/19/2011

Gloria L. Fox

7th Suffolk

2/1/2011

Denise Andrews

2nd Franklin

2/2/2011

David Paul Linsky

5th Middlesex

1/19/2011

Cleon H. Turner

1st Barnstable

1/19/2011

Tom Sannicandro

7th Middlesex

1/19/2011

William N. Brownsberger

 

1/19/2011

Byron Rushing

9th Suffolk

1/19/2011

Denise Provost

27th Middlesex

1/19/2011

Frank I. Smizik

15th Norfolk

1/19/2011

Stephen Kulik

1st Franklin

1/19/2011

Harriette L. Chandler

 

1/19/2011

Peter V. Kocot

1st Hampshire

1/19/2011

Kay Khan

11th Middlesex

1/19/2011

Elizabeth A. Malia

11th Suffolk

1/19/2011

John D. Keenan

7th Essex

1/19/2011

Jay R. Kaufman

15th Middlesex

1/19/2011

Martin J. Walsh

13th Suffolk

1/19/2011

Christine E. Canavan

10th Plymouth

1/19/2011

John P. Fresolo

16th Worcester

1/19/2011

Steven M. Walsh

11th Essex

1/19/2011

John W. Scibak

2nd Hampshire

1/19/2011

Jennifer L. Flanagan

 

1/19/2011

Michael J. Moran

18th Suffolk

1/19/2011

James B. Eldridge

 

1/19/2011

Timothy J. Toomey, Jr.

26th Middlesex

1/19/2011

Linda Dorcena Forry

12th Suffolk

1/19/2011

Sarah K. Peake

4th Barnstable

1/19/2011

Carl M. Sciortino, Jr.

34th Middlesex

1/19/2011

Cheryl A. Coakley-Rivera

10th Hampden

1/19/2011

Anne M. Gobi

5th Worcester

1/19/2011

Martha M. Walz

8th Suffolk

1/19/2011

Cory Atkins

14th Middlesex

1/19/2011

Jonathan Hecht

29th Middlesex

1/19/2011

James J. O'Day

14th Worcester

1/19/2011

Louis L. Kafka

8th Norfolk

1/19/2011

Barry R. Finegold

 

1/19/2011

Jason M. Lewis

31st Middlesex

1/19/2011

Paul McMurtry

11th Norfolk

1/19/2011

Lori A. Ehrlich

8th Essex

1/19/2011

Sean Garballey

23rd Middlesex

1/19/2011

Thomas P. Conroy

13th Middlesex

1/19/2011

Alice Hanlon Peisch

14th Norfolk

1/19/2011

Gailanne M. Cariddi

1st Berkshire

2/3/2011


HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 999        FILED ON: 1/19/2011

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 179

By Ms. Wolf of Cambridge, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 179) of Ruth B. Balser and others relative to the teaching of health education in schools.  Education.

 

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE HOUSE, NO. 3434 OF 2009-2010.]

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

 

_______________

In the Year Two Thousand Eleven

_______________

 

An Act relative to providing health education in schools.

 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1.  Section 1D of chapter 69 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2008 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after the word “languages”, in line 6, the words “health education”.

SECTION 2.  Paragraph 3 of said section 1D of said chapter 69, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by striking out the fourth sentence and inserting in place thereof the following sentence:- 

     The standards for health education shall be age-appropriate, medically accurate and shall, at minimum, provide for instruction in the following areas: growth and physical development, physical activity and fitness, nutrition, reproduction and sexuality, mental health, family life, interpersonal relationships, disease prevention and control, safety and injury prevention, tobacco, alcohol, and other substance use and abuse prevention, consumer health and resource management, ecological health, and community and public health.

SECTION 3. Consistent with the provisions of section 1E of said chapter 69, the Massachusetts Comprehensive Health Curriculum Framework shall be construed as a guide for local school districts in the development and selection of curriculum, textbooks and instructional materials.

SECTION 4. Paragraph 14 of section 1I of said chapter 69, as so appearing, is hereby amended by adding the following clause:-

     (l) health education.

SECTION 5. Consistent with the provisions of section 32A of chapter 71, every city, town, regional school district or vocational school district implementing or maintaining curriculum which primarily involves human sexual education or human sexuality issues shall adopt a policy ensuring parental/guardian notification. Such policy shall afford parents or guardians the flexibility to exempt their children from any portion of said curriculum through written notification to the school principal. No child so exempted shall be penalized by reason of such exemption.  To the extent practicable, program instruction materials for said curriculum shall be made reasonably accessible to parents, guardians, educators, school administrators, and others for inspection and review.

SECTION 6. Nothing in this act shall be construed to require an MCAS exam on health education.

SECTION 7.  The foundation budget must be re-evaluated in the categories of (1) classroom and specialist teachers, (2) instructional equipment, and (3) professional development to ensure sufficient funding to provide the health education envisioned in the Frameworks and Section 2 above.

SECTION 8. This act shall take effect on July 1, 2013.