The bill aims to enhance the protection of minors from sexually explicit material in public schools by prohibiting such content in curricula, instruction, and extracurricular activities. It introduces a new section to the Public School Code that defines "sexual education and biology material" and "sexually explicit material," outlining specific types of content that are deemed inappropriate. The bill mandates that school employees, contractors, and volunteers are prohibited from knowingly providing or recommending sexually explicit material to students. Violations of these provisions can lead to termination, license revocation, or revocation of access privileges to public schools, with fines of up to $500 imposed on school districts or charter schools that fail to comply.

Additionally, the bill amends Section 30-37-5 NMSA 1978 by removing certain exclusions and defenses related to the crimes enumerated in Chapter 30, Article 37. The amendments eliminate defenses based on the belief that a minor had reached eighteen years of age or was accompanied by a parent or guardian who waived the application of the law. The effective date for the provisions of this act is set for July 1, 2025.

Statutes affected:
introduced version: 30-37-5