Senate Bill S9331

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S9331

SPONSOR: JACKSON
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the education law, in relation to providing medically
accurate instruction regarding human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and
acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)

 
PURPOSE:

To require medically accurate education in HIV and AIDS as part of
existing health education,

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 of the bill amends the section heading of section 804 of the
education law, as amended by chapter 390 of the Laws of 2016, and a new
subdivision 5-a adds medically accurate instruction in human immunodefi-
ciency virus and acquired immune deficiency syndrome to health educa-
tion.

              

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Great strides have been made in the prevention and treatment of HIV and
AIDS in recent years, including several life-saving medications.  Howev-
er, much of the education regarding HIV and AIDS remains dangerously out
of date. The way the disease was understood in the 1980s and 90s, when
many health class curricula were created, continues to be taught to many
students throughout New York.

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) data indicates that 1 in 5 new HIV
diagnoses in the United States is in young people aged 13-24 years.
Addressing HIV in youth requires that young people are provided the
tools they need to reduce their risk, make healthy decisions, and get
treatment and care if needed.

Eighteen states already require that their sexual health curricula be
medically accurate, while New York currently lags behind. Studies of
health class curricula in New York State have shown outdated and inaccu-
rate information continues to be taught to children in many schools
lesson plans and examples that have information from the 1980s to 2000s,
as well as sensationalized accounts of those living with HIV and AIDS
that associate HIV transmission with homosexuality. These sorts of
lessons harm LGBTQ students through harmful stigmas, and harm other
students with inaccurate information.

It is essential that when students are taught about HIV and AIDS, they
receive medically accurate information, both so that students learn how
to protect themselves as they grow up and to reduce the stigma and prej-
udice against those living with HIV and AIDS. Requiring that the infor-
mation taught in health classes today be medically accurate and in line
with modern understandings of the virus is critical to the health and
well-being of all New Yorkers.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New bill.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE: :
This act shall take effect immediately.