(BOSTON 3/1/2024) — The Massachusetts Senate on Thursday passed the Healthy Youth Act, which would ensure that Massachusetts public schools electing to teach sexual health education curriculum use age-appropriate, inclusive, medically accurate, and research-based information on sex, relationships, and consent.
The Healthy Youth Act, S.2686, would enhance parental rights and codify into law the voluntary framework approved by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). It calls for sex and relationship education to be inclusive and appropriate for students regardless of gender, race, disability status, sexual orientation, and gender identity.
“Massachusetts has long been due for an update to our sex and relationship education curriculum to ensure students have access to accurate, age-appropriate, and inclusive information,” said Senator Michael Moore (D-Millbury). “The Healthy Youth Act passed by the Senate this week will bring sex ed in public schools into the 21st century while ensuring parents have transparency into what is being taught to their children at what age. Education is critical to helping our youth make healthy choices – I’m proud to advance legislation that supports our youth as they grow to form respectful, safe, and informed relationships with their peers.”
Requiring medically accurate curriculum for public schools teaching sex ed
The Healthy Youth Act would ensure that students in public schools that offer sexual health education are receiving, and teachers have guidance on, curricula that is age-appropriate, medically accurate, comprehensive, and inclusive of LGBTQ+ health and lessons on consent.
The Healthy Youth Act would incorporate comprehensive sex and relationship education that could support students in delaying the initiation of sex and increasing use of contraception. Other focuses include lowering the rates of STIs and unintended pregnancy among teens, and reducing reported levels of bullying towards LGBTQ+ youth in school.
Curricula for schools that choose to teach sex and relationship education would include the benefits of delaying sex; human anatomy, reproduction, and sexual development; effective contraceptive use; prevention of pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs); relationship and communication skills to form healthy relationships; coverage of affirmative, conscious and voluntary consent; and age-appropriate information about gender identity and sexual orientation, including resources that offer support to LGBTQ+ students.
Protecting and enhancing parental notification and rights
This legislation also protects and enhances parents’ right to remove their children from all or part of the sex and relationship education program if they choose to do so––an action already protected by state law.
Additionally, this bill updates parent-notification guidelines for districts that choose to teach sex and relationship education curriculum and requires schools to send notice to parents in English and in other languages commonly spoken in the district. Notices would alert parents that their child is enrolled in a sex and relationship education course and would inform them of their right to review the curriculum or opt their child out of some or all of the lessons.
Building on the DESE education framework
The Healthy Youth Act would codify into law the health education framework approved by DESE last year, which is currently only a voluntary guideline for school districts in the Commonwealth.
If passed, the legislation would strengthen the impact of the new health education framework and create standards for sex and relationship curricula in public schools.
The Healthy Youth Act would require the DESE to collect data on sex and relationship education taught in public schools and update the framework at least every ten years to ensure the sex and relationship education guidelines remain comprehensive and are meeting the needs of students.
The bill has the support of a broad coalition of education and LGBTQ+ advocates around the state.
“Today's vote affirms what we already know – a strong majority of people in Massachusetts, including most parents, want young people to receive sex and relationship education at school,” said Jamie Klufts, co-chair of the Healthy Youth Coalition. “We are deeply grateful to the entire Senate, including Senate President Spilka, Senate Ways and Means Chair Rodrigues, and Assistant Majority Leader DiDomenico, for believing in the Healthy Youth Act once again. We look forward to working with the House to pass the Healthy Youth Act this session so that the state's exciting new Health and Physical Education Framework can reach its full potential and do the most to support our students and teachers.”
“Ensuring that Massachusetts schools are places where all students feel safe and supported––no exceptions––has never been so urgent,” said Jaclyn Friedman, Executive Director of EducateUS and Chair of the Healthy Youth Coalition. “The type of sex and relationship education provided for by the Healthy Youth Act is proven to protect young people against bullying, abuse, and feelings of isolation. We applaud the Senate’s steadfast and timely commitment to young people across Massachusetts.”
“We are excited to learn that, once again, the Healthy Youth Act has passed the Senate,” said Shaplaie Brooks, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Commission on LGBTQ+ Youth. “This tells us that the number one priority for the Senate is comprehensive, intersectional, and medically-accurate health education for students in the Commonwealth. With this win, we believe that the Senate has weighed the pros and cons of this life-saving legislation, and ultimately centered the importance of cultivating a safe environment for students to engage a modern curriculum that reflects the issues they face every day and answers their questions about healthy relationships––rooted in consent. The Commission believes that the House understands the same, and urges it to take up this bill immediately. We are at a pivotal moment in our Commonwealth's history where we have a chance for all youth including LGBTQ youth to receive critical information that can equip them with the tools to keep themselves safe, be a safe person in their relationships, understand the risks and red flags specific to their communities, and have the autonomy to make informed decisions based on the power of knowledge and not fear.”
This is the fifth consecutive session during which the Senate has adopted similar legislation.
The bill now heads to the Massachusetts House of Representatives for consideration.
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