Signed by Governor Jerry Brown, Jr.

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that requires age appropriate sex education starting as early as kindergarten.

Highlights:

• Requires each school district to make sure that all students grades 7 through 12 participate in comprehensive sexual health education and HIV prevention education with instructors trained in the appropriate courses, at least once in junior high or middle school and at least once in high school (Sec. 8).

• Requires instruction for comprehensive sexual health education and HIV prevention education to include (Sec. 8):

• Information on the nature of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, and how they affect the body;

• Information regarding the ways HIV and other sexually transmitted infections are and are not transmitted, including sexual activities and injection drug use;

• Information that abstinence from sexual activity and injection drug use are the only methods that can absolutely guarantee the prevention of contracting HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, and that abstinence from sexual intercourse is the only method that can absolutely guarantee the prevention of pregnancy, though information must also be provided showing other medically accurate methods that can prevent HIV, other sexuallty transmitted infections, and pregnancy;

• Information showing the efficacy and safety of all methods approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that prevent or lessen the risk of contracting HIV and other sexually transmitted infections;

• Information showing how decreasing needle use and sharing can lessen the chance of contracting HIV;

• Information on treating HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, including the efficacy and benefits of antiretroviral therapy;

• Discussion surrounding the social views, stereotypes, and myths of HIV and AIDS and those carrying them;

• Information regarding local resources, the process of accessing these resources, and the legal rights of the students to have access to these resources for sexual and reproductive health care, as well as local resources for help in situations of sexual assault and intimate partner violence;

• Information centered on the efficacy and safety of all contraceptive methods approved by the FDA, as well as various ways to handle pregnancy and their various outcomes, including, but not limited to;

• Parenting, adoption, and abortion;

• The law on surrendering physical custody of a minor child 72 hours of age or younger; and

• Prenatal care.

• Information focused on sexual harassment, sexual assault, adolescent relationship abuse, intimate partner violence, and sex trafficking. 

• Authorizes school districts to give comprehensive sexual health education or HIV prevention education with age-appropriate instruction earlier than grade 7 (Sec. 8).

• Requires school districts to plan and conduct in-service training for all school district personnel that teach HIV prevention education, through regional planning, joint powers agreements, or contract services (Sec. 10).

• Establishes that it is the intent of the Legislature to encourage students towards maintaining open lines of communication with their parents or guardians about human sexuality and HIV, and also to respect the rights of parents or guardians in the supervision of their children’s education regarding these subjects (Sec. 13).

• Authorizes any parent or guardian of a student to excuse their child from participating in all or part of the comprehensive sexual health education course, HIV prevention education course, and assessments related to these educational courses through a passive consent “opt-out” process (Sec. 14).

• Authorizes anonymous, voluntary, and confidential research and evaluation tools to be administered to any student between grades 7 through 12, in order to study the health behaviors and risks of students in regards to attitudes and practices around sex (Sec. 14).

• Requires students who opt out of comprehensive sexual health education and HIV prevention education to engage in an alternative educational activity while the other students are in these courses (Sec. 15).

• Defines “comprehensive sexual health education” as education regarding human development and sexuality, including education on pregnancy, contraception, and sexually transmitted infections (Sec. 3).

• Defines “HIV prevention education” as instruction on the nature of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and AIDS, methods of transmission, strategies to reduce the risk of HIV infection, and social and public health issues related to HIV and AIDS (Sec. 3).

Full Bill Text

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that requires age appropriate sex education starting as early as kindergarten.

Highlights:

• Requires each school district to make sure that all students grades 7 through 12 participate in comprehensive sexual health education and HIV prevention education with instructors trained in the appropriate courses, at least once in junior high or middle school and at least once in high school (Sec. 8).

• Requires instruction for comprehensive sexual health education and HIV prevention education to include (Sec. 8):

• Information on the nature of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, and how they affect the body;

• Information regarding the ways HIV and other sexually transmitted infections are and are not transmitted, including sexual activities and injection drug use;

• Information that abstinence from sexual activity and injection drug use are the only methods that can absolutely guarantee the prevention of contracting HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, and that abstinence from sexual intercourse is the only method that can absolutely guarantee the prevention of pregnancy, though information must also be provided showing other medically accurate methods that can prevent HIV, other sexuallty transmitted infections, and pregnancy;

• Information showing the efficacy and safety of all methods approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that prevent or lessen the risk of contracting HIV and other sexually transmitted infections;

• Information showing how decreasing needle use and sharing can lessen the chance of contracting HIV;

• Information on treating HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, including the efficacy and benefits of antiretroviral therapy;

• Discussion surrounding the social views, stereotypes, and myths of HIV and AIDS and those carrying them;

• Information regarding local resources, the process of accessing these resources, and the legal rights of the students to have access to these resources for sexual and reproductive health care, as well as local resources for help in situations of sexual assault and intimate partner violence;

• Information centered on the efficacy and safety of all contraceptive methods approved by the FDA, as well as various ways to handle pregnancy and their various outcomes, including, but not limited to;

• Parenting, adoption, and abortion;

• The law on surrendering physical custody of a minor child 72 hours of age or younger; and

• Prenatal care.

• Information focused on sexual harassment, sexual assault, adolescent relationship abuse, intimate partner violence, and sex trafficking. 

• Authorizes school districts to give comprehensive sexual health education or HIV prevention education with age-appropriate instruction earlier than grade 7 (Sec. 8).

• Requires school districts to plan and conduct in-service training for all school district personnel that teach HIV prevention education, through regional planning, joint powers agreements, or contract services (Sec. 10).

• Establishes that it is the intent of the Legislature to encourage students towards maintaining open lines of communication with their parents or guardians about human sexuality and HIV, and also to respect the rights of parents or guardians in the supervision of their children’s education regarding these subjects (Sec. 13).

• Authorizes any parent or guardian of a student to excuse their child from participating in all or part of the comprehensive sexual health education course, HIV prevention education course, and assessments related to these educational courses through a passive consent “opt-out” process (Sec. 14).

• Authorizes anonymous, voluntary, and confidential research and evaluation tools to be administered to any student between grades 7 through 12, in order to study the health behaviors and risks of students in regards to attitudes and practices around sex (Sec. 14).

• Requires students who opt out of comprehensive sexual health education and HIV prevention education to engage in an alternative educational activity while the other students are in these courses (Sec. 15).

• Defines “comprehensive sexual health education” as education regarding human development and sexuality, including education on pregnancy, contraception, and sexually transmitted infections (Sec. 3).

• Defines “HIV prevention education” as instruction on the nature of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and AIDS, methods of transmission, strategies to reduce the risk of HIV infection, and social and public health issues related to HIV and AIDS (Sec. 3).

Full Bill Text