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.
Ayes (8): Oppenheimer, Addabbo, Avella, Breslin, Montgomery, Serrano, Stavisky, Huntley
Nays (10): Flanagan, Farley, Lanza, LaValle, Marcellino, Maziarz, Ranzenhofer, Robach, Saland, Seward
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.
Similarly, a report of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy found no credible evidence to support the claim that abstinence-only programs delay the onset of sexual activity or reduce its frequency. Rather, the report revealed that abstinence-only programs put teens in harms way of contracting sexually transmitted infections and HIV / AIDS, and fail to provide information about contraceptive methods that could prevent pregnancy.
A poll conducted by Zogby International reveal that 77 percent of New York voters believe that comprehensive age appropriate, medically accurate sex education should be taught in public schools. The State has a responsibility to bring this instruction into the classroom to keep our youth healthy and safe, and give them the tools they need to make healthy lifestyle choices.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY: 2007-2008: Died in Committee 2009-1010: Referred to and died in the Senate Committee on Education.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS: To be determined.
EFFECTIVE DATE: The effective date is immediate.
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 71 2011-2012 Regular Sessions IN SENATE (PREFILED) January 5, 2011 ___________Introduced by Sens. MONTGOMERY, DUANE, HASSELL-THOMPSON, HUNTLEY, KRUEG- ER, PARKER, PERKINS -- read twice and ordered printed, and when print- ed to be committed 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. LBD01402-01-1