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| 2 | 2 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3000 FILED ON: 1/18/2023 |
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| 3 | 3 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 587 |
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| 4 | 4 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 5 | 5 | | _________________ |
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| 6 | 6 | | PRESENTED BY: |
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| 7 | 7 | | Jeffrey Rosario Turco |
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| 8 | 8 | | _________________ |
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| 9 | 9 | | To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General |
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| 10 | 10 | | Court assembled: |
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| 11 | 11 | | The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill: |
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| 12 | 12 | | An Act relative to securing parental consent for human sexuality education. |
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| 13 | 13 | | _______________ |
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| 14 | 14 | | PETITION OF: |
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| 15 | 15 | | NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Jeffrey Rosario Turco19th Suffolk1/18/2023Joseph D. McKenna18th Worcester1/18/2023Kelly W. Pease4th Hampden1/31/2023 1 of 3 |
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| 16 | 16 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3000 FILED ON: 1/18/2023 |
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| 17 | 17 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 587 |
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| 18 | 18 | | By Representative Turco of Winthrop, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 587) of |
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| 19 | 19 | | Jeffrey Rosario Turco, Joseph D. McKenna and Kelly W. Pease relative to securing parental |
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| 20 | 20 | | consent for human sexuality education. Education. |
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| 21 | 21 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 22 | 22 | | _______________ |
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| 23 | 23 | | In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court |
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| 24 | 24 | | (2023-2024) |
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| 25 | 25 | | _______________ |
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| 26 | 26 | | An Act relative to securing parental consent for human sexuality education. |
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| 27 | 27 | | Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority |
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| 28 | 28 | | of the same, as follows: |
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| 29 | 29 | | 1 SECTION 1. The first sentence of Section 32A of Chapter 71 of the General Laws, as |
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| 30 | 30 | | 2appearing in the 2020 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out after the word |
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| 31 | 31 | | 3“primarily” the following words: “ensuring parental/guardian notification. involves human |
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| 32 | 32 | | 4sexual education or human sexuality issues shall adopt a policy Such policy shall afford parents |
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| 33 | 33 | | 5or guardians the flexibility to exempt their children from any portion of said curriculum through |
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| 34 | 34 | | 6written notification to the school principal” and inserting in place thereof the following words:- |
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| 35 | 35 | | 7involves human sexual education or human sexuality issues shall adopt a policy ensuring |
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| 36 | 36 | | 8notification to a parent or guardian, the flexibility to exempt their child/children from any portion |
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| 37 | 37 | | 9of this curriculum, and requiring the consent of the parent or guardian for their child’s |
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| 38 | 38 | | 10participation. |
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| 39 | 39 | | 11 SECTION 2. The first paragraph of said section 32A, as so appearing, is hereby amended |
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| 40 | 40 | | 12by striking out the last sentence. 2 of 3 |
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| 41 | 41 | | 13 SECTION 3. The first sentence of the third paragraph of said section 32A, as so |
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| 42 | 42 | | 14appearing, is hereby further amended by striking out the following words: “To the extent |
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| 43 | 43 | | 15practicable,” and inserting in place thereof the word:-“All”. |
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| 44 | 44 | | 16 SECTION 4. The first sentence of the third paragraph of said section 32A, as so |
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| 45 | 45 | | 17appearing, is hereby further amended by inserting after the word “review,” the following words:- |
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| 46 | 46 | | 18at least 21 days before the planned instruction. |
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| 47 | 47 | | 19 SECTION 5. Said Chapter 71, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by inserting |
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| 48 | 48 | | 20after section 32A the following section:- |
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| 49 | 49 | | 21 Section 32B. (a) Notification to a parent or guardian and a request for their consent shall |
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| 50 | 50 | | 22be provided by email, online form, text message, phone call or United States mail at least 21 |
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| 51 | 51 | | 23days before a presentation involving human sexual education or human sexuality issues. |
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| 52 | 52 | | 24 (b) Notification to a parent or guardian and a request for their consent shall explicitly |
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| 53 | 53 | | 25identify the topics of abortion, birth control and laws regarding minors’ reproductive health when |
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| 54 | 54 | | 26these topics are included in a presentation involving human sexual education or human sexuality |
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| 55 | 55 | | 27issues. |
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| 56 | 56 | | 28 (c) Notification to a parent or guardian and a request for their consent shall |
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| 57 | 57 | | 29include the names of agencies to which a student may be referred for reproductive health issues, |
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| 58 | 58 | | 30including birth control, abortion and reproductive health services. |
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| 59 | 59 | | 31 (d) A parent or guardian shall provide consent in writing to the school principal for their |
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| 60 | 60 | | 32child to attend a presentation involving human sexual education or human sexuality issues. No 3 of 3 |
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| 61 | 61 | | 33child shall be penalized if their parent or guardian declines to give permission for them to |
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| 62 | 62 | | 34participate in such presentation. |
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| 63 | 63 | | 35 (e) Each school district’s website shall identify objectives related to abortion, birth |
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| 64 | 64 | | 36control and laws for minors’ consent for reproductive health-care services when these topics are |
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| 65 | 65 | | 37included in “Health curriculum,” “Wellness education,” “Personal Responsibility Education |
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| 66 | 66 | | 38Programs” and similar or related programs. |
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| 67 | 67 | | 39 (f) For each violation of this policy and for each child affected, a school district shall pay, |
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| 68 | 68 | | 40as compensation to each aggrieved parent or guardian, the amount of $500. |
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