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Healthy Youth
Status
Passed by the Senate
Bill
The Healthy Youth Act
This legislation calls for sex and relationship education to be inclusive and appropriate for students regardless of gender, race, disability status, sexual orientation, and gender identity. It codifies into law the voluntary framework approved by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).
Highlights
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Medically Accurate Curriculum
- Ensures guidance for public schools on curricula that is age-appropriate, medically accurate, and comprehensive, including LGBTQ+ health and consent.
- Incorporates comprehensive sex and relationship education that could support students in lowering rates of STIs and unintended pregnancy among teens, and reduce reported levels of bullying towards LGBTQ+ youth in school.
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Parental Notification and Rights
- Protects and enhances parents’ rights to remove their children from all or part of the sex and relationship education program if they choose to do so.
- Updates parent notification guidelines for districts that choose to teach sex and relationship education curriculum.
- Requires schools to send notice to parents in English and in other commonly spoken languages in the district.
- Informs parents of their rights to review the curriculum or opt their child out of some or all of the lessons.
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Strengthens the DESE Education Framework
- Codifies the health education framework approved by DESE last year, which is currently only a voluntary guideline for school districts in the Commonwealth.
- Strengthens the impact of the new health education framework and creates standards for sex and relationship curricula in public schools.
