Texas 2015 - 84th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB88 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	84R593 MEW-F
2	2	By: Ellis S.B. No. 88
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 direct adolescents to a standard of behavior
36	36	in which abstinence from sexual activity [before marriage] is the
37	37	most effective way to prevent pregnancy, sexually transmitted
38	38	infections [diseases], sexually transmitted [and] infection with
39	39	human immunodeficiency virus, and [or] acquired immune deficiency
40	40	syndrome resulting from sexual activity; [and]
41	41	(5) must present age-appropriate information;
42	42	(6) must be evidence-based;
43	43	(7) must provide information about the effectiveness
44	44	of methods approved by the United States Food and Drug
45	45	Administration for reducing the risk of contracting sexually
46	46	transmitted infections, including human immunodeficiency virus,
47	47	and preventing pregnancy;
48	48	(8) must include strategies to promote effective
49	49	communication between adolescents and their parents and other
50	50	family members about values and healthy relationships;
51	51	(9) must encourage students to develop healthy life
52	52	skills, including goal setting, responsible decision making,
53	53	refusal and negotiation, and effective communication;
54	54	(10) must teach skills for making responsible
55	55	decisions about sexual activity, including how to avoid unwanted
56	56	verbal or physical sexual advances and how to avoid making unwanted
57	57	verbal or physical sexual advances; and
58	58	(11) may not promote bias against:
59	59	(A) students of any race, gender, sexual
60	60	orientation, or ethnic or cultural background;
61	61	(B) sexually active students; or
62	62	(C) children with disabilities [teach
63	63	contraception and condom use in terms of human use reality rates
64	64	instead of theoretical laboratory rates, if instruction on
65	65	contraception and condoms is included in curriculum content].
66	66	(o) In this section:
67	67	(1) "Age-appropriate information" means information,
68	68	including topics, messages, and teaching methods, that is suitable
69	69	for the particular ages or age groups of children and adolescents to
70	70	whom the information is to be presented based on the developing
71	71	cognitive, emotional, and behavioral capacity of children or
72	72	adolescents of that age or age group.
73	73	(2) "Evidence-based" means:
74	74	(A) verified or supported by research that is:
75	75	(i) in compliance with accepted scientific
76	76	methods;
77	77	(ii) published in peer-reviewed journals,
78	78	if appropriate; and
79	79	(iii) recognized as medically accurate,
80	80	objective, and complete by mainstream professional organizations
81	81	and agencies with expertise in the relevant field, including the
82	82	Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the United States
83	83	Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Adolescent
84	84	Health; and
85	85	(B) proven, through rigorous scientific
86	86	evaluation, to achieve positive outcomes concerning sexually risky
87	87	behavior or negative health consequences of sexually risky
88	88	behavior.
89	89	SECTION 3. (a) A school district that uses instructional
90	90	materials that do not reflect the requirements prescribed by
91	91	Section 28.004(e), Education Code, as amended by this Act, shall
92	92	also use appropriate supplemental instructional materials as
93	93	necessary to comply with those requirements.
94	94	(b) A school district that permits a person not employed by
95	95	the district to present one or more components of the district's
96	96	human sexuality instruction must require the person to comply with
97	97	the requirements prescribed by Section 28.004(e), Education Code,
98	98	as amended by this Act.
99	99	SECTION 4. This Act applies beginning with the 2015-2016
100	100	school year.
101	101	SECTION 5. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
102	102	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
103	103	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
104	104	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
105	105	Act takes effect September 1, 2015.