An Act relative to providing health education in schools
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Progress
Where this bill stands in the legislative process.
- Introduced
- Passed House
- Passed Senate
- To Governor
- Became Law
Overview
This bill amends the state’s education laws to require schools to provide comprehensive health education to students. It expands the required curriculum to include topics like growth and development, nutrition, mental health, substance abuse prevention, and family life. The bill also mandates that school districts with human sexuality education curriculum have a policy allowing parents to opt their children out of specific lessons, while ensuring access to curriculum materials for review.
Key provisions
- Requires schools to provide health education as part of the curriculum.
- Expands the health education curriculum to include a wider range of topics.
- Mandates a parental notification policy for schools offering human sexuality education.
- Allows parents to exempt their children from specific curriculum components.
- Requires curriculum materials to be accessible for review.
- Clarifies that MCAS will not include a test on health education.
- Sets an effective date of July 1, 2027.
Who is affected
- Students in Massachusetts public schools
- School districts
- Parents and guardians of students
- Educators and school administrators
Notable changes
- Increases the scope of health education topics required in schools.
- Establishes a parental opt-out policy for human sexuality education.
Bill text
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Sponsors
Official sponsors from legislative records.
3 on record
Primary sponsor
Joint Committee on Education
Cosponsors
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