Mandates comprehensive, medically accurate and age appropriate sex education be taught in all public schools, grades one through twelve; provides that the commissioner of education will create and establish a curriculum to accomplish such goal within one year of the effective date of this legislation.
BILL NUMBER:A10966
TITLE OF BILL: An act to amend the education law, in relation to
mandating sex education in elementary and high schools
PURPOSE: To establish and implement a comprehensive, medically
accurate and age-appropriate sex education curriculum in grades one
through twelve in all public and charter schools.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS: Section 1 adds a new section 815 to the
Education Law requiring the Commissioner of Education to collaborate
with the Commissioners of Health and Mental Health to create an age
comprehensive, medically accurate and age-appropriate sex education
curriculum for all grades and requires that schools teach sex
education. The section also grants local boards of education or the
Chancellor of the New York City School System the option of adopting
their own curriculum upon approval of the Commissioner.
Section 2 establishes the enactment date.
JUSTIFICATION: According to a U.S. Government report released in
April 2007, abstinence-only sex education does not keep teenagers from
having sex. The independent study determined that the more than 2,000
teens who took part in the programs as elementary and middle schools
students were just as likely to have sex as those who did not
participate in them.
S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________
10966
I N A S S E M B L Y
May 5, 2010
___________
Introduced by M. of A. BARRON, ROBINSON -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of
A. GLICK, JEFFRIES, JOHN -- read once and referred to the Committee on
Education
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to mandating sex educa-
tion in elementary and high schools
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new section 815 to
read as follows:
S 815. COMPREHENSIVE SEX EDUCATION. 1. THE COMMISSIONER, WORKING IN
CONSULTATION WITH THE COMMISSIONERS OF HEALTH AND MENTAL HEALTH, SHALL
CREATE AND ESTABLISH A COMPREHENSIVE, MEDICALLY ACCURATE AND AGE APPRO-
PRIATE SEX EDUCATION CURRICULUM WHICH SHALL BE TAUGHT IN GRADES ONE
THROUGH TWELVE IN ALL PUBLIC AND CHARTER SCHOOLS. SUCH CURRICULUM SHALL
BE READY FOR USE WITHIN ONE YEAR OF THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS SECTION.
2. THE CHANCELLOR OF THE NEW YORK CITY SCHOOL SYSTEM, OR A BOARD OF
EDUCATION MAY ADOPT THEIR OWN CURRICULUM UPON APPROVAL OF THE COMMIS-
SIONER, PROVIDED, HOWEVER, THAT THE COMMISSIONER SHALL NOT APPROVE ANY
CURRICULUM WHICH DOES NOT SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLY WITH THE CURRICULUM
CREATED PURSUANT TO SUBDIVISION ONE OF THIS SECTION.
3. SCHOOLS SHALL BEGIN TEACHING THE CURRICULUM ESTABLISHED PURSUANT TO
THIS SECTION IN THE FIRST SCHOOL YEAR FOLLOWING CERTIFICATION BY THE
COMMISSIONER THAT SUCH CURRICULUM HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED.
S 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD01489-01-9
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