Kentucky Bill Proposes That Sex Ed Start in Fourth Grade
House Bill 80 proposes that school districts throughout Kentucky make mandatory age-appropriate sex education for 4th- through 12th-graders, with the coverage of topics ranging from the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases to premarital abstinence. If this piece of legislation were to pass, the Kentucky Board of Education would have to create regulations establishing a plan for school districts to teach human sexuality education starting in the 2019-20 school year. You can read more about what such curricula might include here. In the meantime, Senate Bill 71 was recently approved by a Senate panel, requiring all Kentucky public schools to include abstinence education content. This bill would not stop schools from teaching children about other methods to prevent pregnancy, but it does require that schools include some form of abstinence education.
Proposed Indiana Law Would Make Sex Ed Opt-In
A potential law before the Indiana Senate would require written parental consent for sexual education in schools. A vote is forthcoming this week.
New Virginia Bill Requires Consent Education in High School
A bill in Virginia that just passed the Senate would require that all high school family life education classes include lessons about nonconsensual sexual activities. Under the current law, lessons about consent are not required, though they are allowed. The bill is now moving on to the House of Delegates.
