| 1 | 1 | | <STYLE><!--U {color: Green}S {color: RED} I {color: DARKBLUE; background-color:yellow} P.brk {page-break-before:always}--></STYLE> <BASEFONT SIZE=3> <PRE WIDTH="99"> <FONT SIZE=5><B> STATE OF NEW YORK</B></FONT> ________________________________________________________________________ 7496--A 2025-2026 Regular Sessions <FONT SIZE=5><B> IN ASSEMBLY</B></FONT> March 28, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. GONZALEZ-ROJAS, GLICK, PAULIN, DINOWITZ, LUNS- FORD, EPSTEIN, STIRPE, CRUZ, COOK, SIMON, HYNDMAN, REYES, BRONSON, ROZIC, LAVINE, RAMOS, ROSENTHAL, SEAWRIGHT, LUPARDO, HEVESI, HUNTER, MAGNARELLI, BURKE, OTIS, WALKER, R. CARROLL, BICHOTTE HERMELYN, BURDICK, CLARK, JACOBSON, KELLES, MEEKS, FORREST, McMAHON, RAJKUMAR, BARRETT, MAMDANI, DE LOS SANTOS, STECK, ANDERSON, GALLAGHER, RAGA, SHIMSKY, SIMONE, CUNNINGHAM, LEVENBERG, SHRESTHA, SEPTIMO, DAVILA, TAPIA, BORES, VALDEZ -- read once and referred to the Committee on Education -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to establishing the heal- thy and safe students act <B><U>The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-</U></B> <B><U>bly, do enact as follows:</U></B> 1 Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as 2 the "healthy and safe students act". 3 § 2. The education law is amended by adding a new section 804-e to 4 read as follows: 5 <B><U>§ 804-e. Healthy and safe students. 1. Each public and charter school</U></B> 6 <B><U>shall ensure all pupils receive, as an integral part of education in</U></B> 7 <B><U>grades kindergarten through twelve, comprehensive sexuality education.</U></B> 8 <B><U>2. The commissioner, in consultation with the commissioner of health,</U></B> 9 <B><U>shall develop and establish a comprehensive sexuality education program.</U></B> 10 <B><U>Such program of instruction shall include: (i) model curricula for</U></B> 11 <B><U>comprehensive sexuality education in grades kindergarten through twelve</U></B> 12 <B><U>including exemplar lesson plans, instructional tools and materials, and</U></B> 13 <B><U>best practice instructional resources that are suitable to student age,</U></B> 14 <B><U>based on cognitive, emotional, and behavioral capacity and at a minimum</U></B> 15 <B><U>conforms to the content and scope of national sexuality education stand-</U></B> 16 <B><U>ards; (ii) resources to support implementation of the instruction in the</U></B> EXPLANATION--Matter in <B><U>italics</U></B> (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [<B><S> </S></B>] is old law to be omitted. LBD11299-03-5 </PRE><P CLASS="brk"><PRE WIDTH="99"> A. 7496--A 2 1 <B><U>schools; and (iii) public availability of all program materials related</U></B> 2 <B><U>to comprehensive sexuality education on the department's website.</U></B> 3 <B><U>3. In the development of such program, the commissioners shall seek</U></B> 4 <B><U>the recommendations of a broad range of experts such as teachers certi-</U></B> 5 <B><U>fied in health, biology, family and consumer science, early childhood</U></B> 6 <B><U>education, and childhood education, certified and licensed social work-</U></B> 7 <B><U>ers, school nurses, school administrators, school board members, parent</U></B> 8 <B><U>teacher association members, others with educational expertise in inti-</U></B> 9 <B><U>mate partner violence, sexual assault, reproductive and sexual health</U></B> 10 <B><U>care, and serving lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning</U></B> 11 <B><U>youth. Such program of comprehensive sexuality instruction shall be</U></B> 12 <B><U>reviewed periodically by the commissioner in consultation with the</U></B> 13 <B><U>commissioner of health, at intervals specified by the commissioner, and</U></B> 14 <B><U>updated as necessary.</U></B> 15 <B><U>4. The commissioner shall prescribe in regulations such contents and</U></B> 16 <B><U>topics to be included in a curriculum of comprehensive sexuality</U></B> 17 <B><U>instruction; provided, however, that the curricula need not be uniform</U></B> 18 <B><U>throughout the state; and provided further, however, that school</U></B> 19 <B><U>districts shall utilize either a curriculum for comprehensive sexuality</U></B> 20 <B><U>education instruction prescribed by the commissioner or a curriculum in</U></B> 21 <B><U>accordance with the criteria established by the commissioner.</U></B> 22 <B><U>5. Upon approval and adoption by the board of regents, the department</U></B> 23 <B><U>shall issue guidance to the school districts about the program on</U></B> 24 <B><U>comprehensive sexuality instruction and publish on its website model</U></B> 25 <B><U>curricula and instructional resources required by this section. School</U></B> 26 <B><U>districts shall provide comprehensive sexuality education instruction no</U></B> 27 <B><U>later than the school year following the effective date of this section.</U></B> 28 <B><U>No later than the second year after the effective date of this section</U></B> 29 <B><U>and as necessary thereafter, the commissioner shall conduct a review of</U></B> 30 <B><U>district implementation to monitor compliance.</U></B> 31 <B><U>6. The boards of education or trustees of the cities and school</U></B> 32 <B><U>districts of the state that choose not to adopt the model curriculum</U></B> 33 <B><U>approved by the board of regents shall each establish an advisory coun-</U></B> 34 <B><U>cil which shall make recommendations to the board of education or trus-</U></B> 35 <B><U>tees concerning the curriculum, content, and evaluation of the compre-</U></B> 36 <B><U>hensive sexuality education required pursuant to this section. The</U></B> 37 <B><U>advisory council shall include, but need not be limited to, members of</U></B> 38 <B><U>the school board or trustees, school authorities, a teacher designated</U></B> 39 <B><U>by a teacher's collective bargaining organization, other staff, parents,</U></B> 40 <B><U>students, and other representatives of the community. The board of</U></B> 41 <B><U>education or trustees of a school district shall determine the curric-</U></B> 42 <B><U>ulum and content of the program within the school district and shall be</U></B> 43 <B><U>responsible for the evaluation of the program within the district and</U></B> 44 <B><U>ensuring the program conforms in content and scope to the comprehensive</U></B> 45 <B><U>sexuality education program established by the commissioner.</U></B> 46 <B><U>7. As used in this article, "comprehensive sexuality education" means</U></B> 47 <B><U>a medically accurate, age-appropriate sequential learning program which</U></B> 48 <B><U>addresses physical, mental, emotional and social dimensions of human</U></B> 49 <B><U>sexuality, is trauma-responsive and culturally appropriate, incorporates</U></B> 50 <B><U>skills-based instruction; provides students with knowledge and skills</U></B> 51 <B><U>they need to form relationships that are based on mutual respect and</U></B> 52 <B><U>affection and that are free from violence, coercion, and intimidation;</U></B> 53 <B><U>and are respectful and inclusive of all students regardless of actual or</U></B> 54 <B><U>perceived race, color, weight, national origin, ethnic group, religion,</U></B> 55 <B><U>religious practice, disability, sexual orientation, or gender as defined</U></B> 56 <B><U>in section eleven of this chapter. Comprehensive sexuality education</U></B> </PRE><P CLASS="brk"><PRE WIDTH="99"> A. 7496--A 3 1 <B><U>shall include, but is not limited to, age-appropriate instruction on:</U></B> 2 <B><U>(i) human anatomy, reproduction, and sexual development; (ii) consent,</U></B> 3 <B><U>bodily autonomy, boundary-setting, bullying, and peer pressure; (iii)</U></B> 4 <B><U>healthy relationships, including relationships involving diverse sexual</U></B> 5 <B><U>orientations and gender identities and prevention of intimate partner</U></B> 6 <B><U>violence, sexual violence and sexual harassment; (iv) methods for</U></B> 7 <B><U>preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections; (v) gender,</U></B> 8 <B><U>gender expression, gender identity, diversity of sex characteristics,</U></B> 9 <B><U>and the harms of gender stereotypes; (vi) the relationship between</U></B> 10 <B><U>substance use and sexual behavior and health; and (vii) the use of tech-</U></B> 11 <B><U>nology and social media in interpersonal relationships.</U></B> 12 § 3. This act shall take effect on the first of July next succeeding 13 the date on which it shall have become a law. |
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