Bill Text: TX SB26 | 2013 | 83rd Legislature 2nd Special Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to health education curriculum and instruction in public schools.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 9-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2013-07-03 - Filed [SB26 Detail]
Download: Texas-2013-SB26-Introduced.html
| 83S20093 MEW-F | ||
| By: Ellis, et al. | S.B. No. 26 | |
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| relating to health education curriculum and instruction in public | ||
| schools. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. This Act may be cited as the Texas Education | ||
| Works Act. | ||
| SECTION 2. Section 28.004, Education Code, is amended by | ||
| amending Subsection (e) and adding Subsection (o) to read as | ||
| follows: | ||
| (e) Any course materials and instruction relating to human | ||
| sexuality, sexually transmitted diseases, or human | ||
| immunodeficiency virus or acquired immune deficiency syndrome | ||
| shall be selected by the board of trustees with the advice of the | ||
| local school health advisory council and [ |
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| (1) must present abstinence from sexual activity as | ||
| the preferred choice of behavior in relationship to all sexual | ||
| activity for [ |
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| (2) must devote sufficient [ |
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| abstinence from sexual activity to emphasize the importance of | ||
| abstinence from sexual activity [ |
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| (3) must emphasize that abstinence from sexual | ||
| activity, if used consistently and correctly, is the only method | ||
| that is 100 percent effective in preventing pregnancy, sexually | ||
| transmitted infections [ |
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| with human immunodeficiency virus, [ |
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| syndrome resulting from sexual activity, and the emotional distress | ||
| that may be [ |
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| that results in a sexually transmitted infection or an unintended | ||
| pregnancy; | ||
| (4) must direct adolescents to a standard of behavior | ||
| in which abstinence from sexual activity [ |
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| most effective way to prevent pregnancy, sexually transmitted | ||
| infections [ |
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| human immunodeficiency virus, and [ |
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| syndrome resulting from sexual activity; [ |
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| (5) must present age-appropriate information; | ||
| (6) must be evidence-based; | ||
| (7) must provide information about the effectiveness | ||
| of methods approved by the United States Food and Drug | ||
| Administration for reducing the risk of contracting sexually | ||
| transmitted infections, including human immunodeficiency virus, | ||
| and preventing pregnancy; | ||
| (8) must include strategies to promote effective | ||
| communication between adolescents and their parents and other | ||
| family members about values and healthy relationships; | ||
| (9) must encourage students to develop healthy life | ||
| skills, including goal setting, responsible decision making, | ||
| refusal and negotiation, and effective communication; | ||
| (10) must teach skills for making responsible | ||
| decisions about sexual activity, including how to avoid unwanted | ||
| verbal or physical sexual advances and how to avoid making unwanted | ||
| verbal or physical sexual advances; and | ||
| (11) may not promote bias against: | ||
| (A) students of any race, gender, sexual | ||
| orientation, or ethnic or cultural background; | ||
| (B) sexually active students; or | ||
| (C) children with disabilities [ |
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| (o) In this section: | ||
| (1) "Age-appropriate information" means information, | ||
| including topics, messages, and teaching methods, that is suitable | ||
| for the particular ages or age groups of children and adolescents to | ||
| whom the information is to be presented based on the developing | ||
| cognitive, emotional, and behavioral capacity of children or | ||
| adolescents of that age or age group. | ||
| (2) "Evidence-based" means: | ||
| (A) verified or supported by research that is: | ||
| (i) in compliance with accepted scientific | ||
| methods; | ||
| (ii) published in peer-reviewed journals, | ||
| if appropriate; and | ||
| (iii) recognized as medically accurate, | ||
| objective, and complete by mainstream professional organizations | ||
| and agencies with expertise in the relevant field, including the | ||
| Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the United States | ||
| Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Adolescent | ||
| Health; and | ||
| (B) proven, through rigorous scientific | ||
| evaluation, to achieve positive outcomes concerning sexually risky | ||
| behavior or negative health consequences of sexually risky | ||
| behavior. | ||
| SECTION 3. (a) A school district that uses instructional | ||
| materials that do not reflect the requirements prescribed by | ||
| Section 28.004(e), Education Code, as amended by this Act, shall | ||
| also use appropriate supplemental instructional materials as | ||
| necessary to comply with those requirements. | ||
| (b) A school district that permits a person not employed by | ||
| the district to present one or more components of the district's | ||
| human sexuality instruction must require the person to comply with | ||
| the requirements prescribed by Section 28.004(e), Education Code, | ||
| as amended by this Act. | ||
| SECTION 4. This Act applies beginning with the 2013-2014 | ||
| school year. | ||
| SECTION 5. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives | ||
| a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as | ||
| provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this | ||
| Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this | ||
| Act takes effect on the 91st day after the last day of the | ||
| legislative session. | ||
