SEX EDUCATION CURRICULA
House Bill 6154
Sponsor: Rep. Jack Minore
Committee: Education
Complete to 8-27-02
A SUMMARY OF HOUSE BILL 6154 AS INTRODUCED 5-30-02
House Bill 6154 would amend the Revised School Code to require that a school district's comprehensive sexuality education instruction be medically accurate and age-appropriate for all grade levels. Further, the bill would require that the factual information included in teaching during a school district's sex education instruction, and also during teaching about human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, be medically accurate and objective.
The bill would define "factual information" as including, but not being limited to, medical, psychiatric, psychological, empirical, and statistical statements. Further, it would define "medically accurate" to mean verified or supported by research conducted in compliance with scientific methods and published in peer-reviewed journals, where appropriate, and recognized as accurate and objective by professional organizations and agencies with expertise in the relevant field, such as the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Currently the law requires that a school district provide sex education instruction by teachers qualified to teach health education. Under the bill, the instruction would be by teachers qualified to teach sexuality education.
In the section of the code concerning human immunodeficiency virus infection instruction, the bill would replace the reference to the State Board of Education, with whom administrative responsibility for program currently rests, with a reference to the superintendent of public instruction. The bill also would update a reference to the Department of Public Health, substituting instead the Department of Community Health. In addition, the bill would replace references to "sexually transmitted disease" with the phrase "sexually transmitted infection."
Finally, the bill would eliminate
a provision of the law that requires that a school district's sex education
class be an elective, and not a requirement for graduation.
MCL 380.1169 and 380.1507
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This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan House staff for use by House members in their deliberations, and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.