MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE

2019 Regular Session

To: Education; Public Health and Human Services

By: Representative Clarke

House Bill 1401

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 37-13-171, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO REVISE THE REQUIREMENT AND STANDARDS OF CURRICULUM TO BE USED IN PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICTS FOR THE TEACHING OF SEX EDUCATION; TO REMOVE THE REQUIREMENT THAT SUCH PROGRAM BE ABSTINENCE-ONLY OR ABSTINENCE-PLUS COURSE OF INSTRUCTION; TO PROVIDE THAT THE REQUIRED POLICY TO BE ADOPTED TO IMPLEMENT SEX EDUCATION SHALL BE COMPREHENSIVE IN NATURE AND PROVIDE MEDICALLY ACCURATE, COMPLETE, AGE AND DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE INFORMATION; TO REQUIRE POLICY TO BE AVAILABLE BY THE BEGINNING OF THE 2019-2020 SCHOOL YEAR; TO PRESCRIBE WHAT ELEMENTS SHALL NOT BE INCLUDED IN THE SEX EDUCATION CURRICULUM ADOPTED AND IMPLEMENTED BY SCHOOL DISTRICTS; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

     BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:

     SECTION 1.  Section 37-13-171, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

     37-13-171.  (1)  The local school board of every public school district shall adopt a policy to implement * * * abstinence‑only or abstinence‑plus education into its curriculum by June 30, 2012, which instruction in those subjects shall be implemented not later than the start of the 2012‑2013 school year or the local school board shall adopt the program which has been developed by the Mississippi Department of Human Services and the Mississippi Department of Health.  The State Department of Education shall approve each district's curriculum for sex‑related education and shall establish a protocol to be used by districts to provide continuity in teaching the approved curriculum in a manner that is age, grade and developmentally appropriatecomprehensive sex education programs that:

(a)  Provide the information and skills all young people need to make informed, responsible and healthy decisions in order to become sexually healthy adults and have healthy relationships;

(b)  Provide information about the prevention of unintended pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections (including HIV), dating violence, sexual assault, bullying and harassment; and

(c)  Promote and uphold the rights of young people to

information in order to make healthy and responsible decisions

about their sexual health.

     (2)  * * * Abstinence‑only education shall remain the state standard for any sex‑related education taught in the public schools.  For purposes of this section, abstinence‑only education includes any type of instruction or program which, at an appropriate age and grade:

  (a)  Teaches the social, psychological and health gains to be realized by abstaining from sexual activity, and the likely negative psychological and physical effects of not abstaining;

  (b)  Teaches the harmful consequences to the child, the child's parents and society that bearing children out of wedlock is likely to produce, including the health, educational, financial and other difficulties the child and his or her parents are likely to face, as well as the inappropriateness of the social and economic burden placed on others;

  (c)  Teaches that unwanted sexual advances are irresponsible and teaches how to reject sexual advances and how alcohol and drug use increases vulnerability to sexual advances;

  (d)  Teaches that abstinence from sexual activity before marriage, and fidelity within marriage, is the only certain way to avoid out‑of‑wedlock pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases and related health problems.  The instruction or program may include a discussion on condoms or contraceptives, but only if that discussion includes a factual presentation of the risks and failure rates of those contraceptives.  In no case shall the instruction or program include any demonstration of how condoms or other contraceptives are applied;

  (e)  Teaches the current state law related to sexual conduct, including forcible rape, statutory rape, paternity establishment, child support and homosexual activity; and

  (f)  Teaches that a mutually faithful, monogamous relationship in the context of marriage is the only appropriate setting for sexual intercourse.By the beginning of the 2019-2020 school year, each public school district must adopt a sex education curriculum that:

(a)  Covers a broad range of topics, including medically accurate, complete, age and developmentally appropriate information about all the aspects of sex needed for a complete sex education program, including:

(i)  Anatomy and physiology;

(ii)  Growth and development;

(iii)  Healthy relationships;

(iv)  The prevention of unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV, through abstinence and contraception; and

(v)  Protection from dating violence, sexual assault, bullying and harassment;

(b)  Promotes educational achievement, critical thinking, decision-making, self-esteem and self-efficacy;

(c)  Helps develop healthy attitudes and insights necessary for understanding relationships between oneself and others and society;

(d)  Fosters leadership skills and community engagement by:

(i)  Promoting principles of fairness, human

dignity and respect; and

(ii)  Engaging young people as partners in their communities; and

(e)  Are culturally and linguistically appropriate, reflecting the diverse circumstances and realities of young people.

 * * * (3)  A program or instruction on sex‑related education need not include every component listed in subsection (2) of this section for abstinence‑only education.  However, no program or instruction under an abstinence‑only curriculum may include anything that contradicts the excluded components.  For purposes of this section, abstinence‑plus education includes every component listed under subsection (2) of this section that is age and grade appropriate, in addition to any other programmatic or instructional component approved by the department, which shall not include instruction and demonstrations on the application and use of condoms.  Abstinence‑plus education may discuss other contraceptives, the nature, causes and effects of sexually transmitted diseases, or the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS, along with a factual presentation of the risks and failure rates.

     (4)  Any course containing sex‑related education offered in the public schools shall include instruction in either abstinence‑only or abstinence‑plus education.

(5)  Local school districts, in their discretion, may host programs designed to teach parents how to discuss abstinence with their children.

     (6)  There shall be no effort in either an abstinence‑only or an abstinence‑plus curriculum to teach that abortion can be used to prevent the birth of a baby.

     ( * * *83)  This section shall stand repealed on July 1, 2021.

SECTION 2. Sex education programs with any of the following information shall not be adopted or implemented in Mississippi schools:

          (a)  Deliberately withhold health promoting or life-saving information about sexuality-related topics, including HIV;

          (b)  Are medically inaccurate or have been scientifically shown to be ineffective;

          (c)  Are insensitive and unresponsive to the needs of

survivors of sexual abuse or assault; or

          (d)  Are inconsistent with the ethical imperatives of

medicine and public health.

     SECTION 3.  This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2019.

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