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HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2834 FILED ON: 1/19/2023
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 455
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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PRESENTED BY:
Marjorie C. Decker
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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:
The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
An Act relative to providing health education in schools.
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PETITION OF:
NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Marjorie C. Decker25th Middlesex1/11/2023Lindsay N. Sabadosa1st Hampshire1/19/2023Mindy Domb3rd Hampshire1/19/2023Priscila S. Sousa6th Middlesex2/15/2023Natalie M. Higgins4th Worcester2/28/2023 1 of 3
HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2834 FILED ON: 1/19/2023
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 455
By Representative Decker of Cambridge, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 455) of
Marjorie C. Decker and others relative to providing health education in schools. Education.
[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE HOUSE, NO. 567 OF 2021-2022.]
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
(2023-2024)
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An Act relative to providing health education in schools.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
of the same, as follows:
1 SECTION 1. Section 1D of chapter 69 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020
2Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after the word “languages”, in line 7, the
3following words:- , health education
4 SECTION 2. Paragraph 3 of said section 1D of said chapter 69, as so appearing, is hereby
5further amended by striking out the fourth sentence and inserting in place thereof the following
6sentence:-
7 The standards for health education shall be age-appropriate, medically accurate and shall,
8at minimum, provide for instruction in the following areas: growth and physical development,
9physical activity and fitness, nutrition, reproduction and sexuality, mental health, family life,
10interpersonal relationships, disease prevention and control, safety and injury prevention, tobacco, 2 of 3
11alcohol, and other substance use and abuse prevention, consumer health and resource
12management, ecological health, and community and public health.
13 SECTION 3. Consistent with the provisions of section 1E of said chapter 69, the
14Massachusetts Comprehensive Health Curriculum Framework shall be construed as a guide for
15local school districts in the development and selection of curriculum, textbooks and instructional
16materials.
17 SECTION 4. Section 1I of said chapter 69, as so appearing, is hereby amended by
18striking out the words “nutrition and wellness”, in line 206, and inserting in place thereof the
19following words:- health education
20 SECTION 5. Consistent with the provisions of section 32A of chapter 71, every city,
21town, regional school district or vocational school district implementing or maintaining
22curriculum which primarily involves human sexual education or human sexuality issues shall
23adopt a policy ensuring parental/guardian notification. Such policy shall afford parents or
24guardians the flexibility to exempt their children from any portion of said curriculum through
25written notification to the school principal. No child so exempted shall be penalized by reason of
26such exemption. To the extent practicable, program instruction materials for said curriculum
27shall be made reasonably accessible to parents, guardians, educators, school administrators, and
28others for inspection and review.
29 SECTION 6. Nothing in this act shall be construed to require an MCAS exam on health
30education.
31 SECTION 7. The foundation budget must be re-evaluated in the categories of (1)
32classroom and specialist teachers, (2) instructional equipment, and (3) professional development 3 of 3
33to ensure sufficient funding to provide the health education envisioned in the Frameworks and
34Section 2 above.
35 SECTION 8. This act shall take effect on July 1, 2025.