Texas 2015 - 84th Regular

Texas House Bill HB1351 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	84R5749 MEW-F
2	2	By: Turner of Tarrant H.B. No. 1351
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to health education curriculum and instruction in public
8	8	schools.
9	9	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
10	10	SECTION 1. This Act may be cited as the Texas Education
11	11	Works Act.
12	12	SECTION 2. Section 28.004, Education Code, is amended by
13	13	amending Subsection (e) and adding Subsection (o) to read as
14	14	follows:
15	15	(e) Any course materials and instruction relating to human
16	16	sexuality, sexually transmitted diseases, or human
17	17	immunodeficiency virus or acquired immune deficiency syndrome
18	18	shall be selected by the board of trustees with the advice of the
19	19	local school health advisory council and [must]:
20	20	(1) must present abstinence from sexual activity as
21	21	the preferred choice of behavior in relationship to all sexual
22	22	activity for [unmarried] persons of school age;
23	23	(2) must devote sufficient [more] attention to
24	24	abstinence from sexual activity to emphasize the importance of
25	25	abstinence from sexual activity [than to any other behavior];
26	26	(3) must emphasize that abstinence from sexual
27	27	activity, if used consistently and correctly, is the only method
28	28	that is 100 percent effective in preventing pregnancy, sexually
29	29	transmitted infections [diseases], sexually transmitted infection
30	30	with human immunodeficiency virus, [or] acquired immune deficiency
31	31	syndrome resulting from sexual activity, and the emotional distress
32	32	that may be [trauma] associated with adolescent sexual activity
33	33	that results in a sexually transmitted infection or an unintended
34	34	pregnancy;
35	35	(4) must present age-appropriate information [direct
36	36	adolescents to a standard of behavior in which abstinence from
37	37	sexual activity before marriage is the most effective way to
38	38	prevent pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, and infection
39	39	with human immunodeficiency virus or acquired immune deficiency
40	40	syndrome]; [and]
41	41	(5) must be medically accurate and, to the extent
42	42	possible, evidence-based;
43	43	(6) must provide information about the effectiveness,
44	44	proper use, health benefits, and side effects of methods approved
45	45	by the United States Food and Drug Administration for reducing the
46	46	risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections, including
47	47	human immunodeficiency virus, and preventing pregnancy;
48	48	(7) must include strategies to promote effective
49	49	communication between adolescents and their parents, legal
50	50	guardians, and other family members about sexuality and healthy
51	51	relationships;
52	52	(8) must encourage students to develop healthy life
53	53	skills, including goal setting, critical thinking, problem
54	54	solving, responsible decision-making regarding sexuality and
55	55	relationships, refusal and negotiation, and effective
56	56	communication;
57	57	(9) must teach skills for making responsible decisions
58	58	about sexual activity, including how to avoid unwanted verbal or
59	59	physical sexual advances and how to avoid making unwanted verbal or
60	60	physical sexual advances; and
61	61	(10) may not promote bias against:
62	62	(A) students of any race, gender, sexual
63	63	orientation, or ethnic or cultural background;
64	64	(B) sexually active students;
65	65	(C) children with disabilities; or
66	66	(D) students with children [teach contraception
67	67	and condom use in terms of human use reality rates instead of
68	68	theoretical laboratory rates, if instruction on contraception and
69	69	condoms is included in curriculum content].
70	70	(o) In this section:
71	71	(1) "Age-appropriate information" means information,
72	72	including topics, messages, and teaching methods, that is suitable
73	73	for the particular ages or age groups of children and adolescents to
74	74	whom the information is to be presented based on the developing
75	75	cognitive, emotional, and behavioral capacity of children or
76	76	adolescents of that age or age group.
77	77	(2) "Evidence-based" means:
78	78	(A) verified or supported by research that is:
79	79	(i) in compliance with accepted scientific
80	80	methods; and
81	81	(ii) published in peer-reviewed journals,
82	82	if appropriate; and
83	83	(B) proven, through rigorous scientific
84	84	evaluation, to achieve positive outcomes concerning risky sexual
85	85	behaviors or negative health consequences from risky sexual
86	86	behaviors.
87	87	(3) "Medically accurate" means objective, complete,
88	88	and consistent with information available from mainstream
89	89	professional organizations and agencies with expertise in the
90	90	relevant field, including the Centers for Disease Control and
91	91	Prevention and the United States Department of Health and Human
92	92	Services' Office of Adolescent Health.
93	93	SECTION 3. (a) A school district that uses instructional
94	94	materials that do not reflect the requirements prescribed by
95	95	Section 28.004(e), Education Code, as amended by this Act, shall
96	96	also use appropriate supplemental instructional materials as
97	97	necessary to comply with those requirements.
98	98	(b) A school district that permits a person not employed by
99	99	the district to present one or more components of the district's
100	100	human sexuality instruction must require the person to comply with
101	101	the requirements prescribed by Section 28.004(e), Education Code,
102	102	as amended by this Act.
103	103	SECTION 4. This Act applies beginning with the 2015-2016
104	104	school year.
105	105	SECTION 5. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
106	106	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
107	107	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
108	108	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
109	109	Act takes effect September 1, 2015.