BILL NUMBER: S6901A
SPONSOR: SALAZAR
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the education law, in relation to establishing the heal-
thy and safe students act
 
PURPOSE:
The purpose of this legislation is to help students be healthy and safe
by providing students with comprehensive sexuality education that is age
appropriate, medically accurate, and inclusive of all students.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1- Provides that the act may be known and cited as the "healthy
and safe students act".
Section 2- Amends the education law by adding a new section 804-e,
providing, in eight paragraphs as follows:
Paragraph one requires each public and charter school to provide
students in grades kindergarten through twelve with comprehensive sexu-
ality education.
Paragraph two requires the commissioner in consultation with the commis-
sioner of health to develop a sexuality education program.
Paragraph three directs the commissioner to consult a broad range of
experts in the development of the program.
Paragraph four directs the commissioner to prescribe in regulations the
contents and topics to be included in sexuality education. Paragraph
five requires the commissioner to issue guidance to school districts and
publish model curricula on the State Education Department website.
Instruction shall occur no later than the school year following the
effective date.
Paragraph six instructs boards of education that elect not to adopt the
model curricula to establish diverse advisory groups to make recommenda-
tions regarding the curriculum, content, of sexuality education for the
school district that conforms in content and scope to the comprehensive
sexuality education program established by the commissioner.
Paragraph seven defines the term "comprehensive sexuality education".
Section 3 - Effective Date
 
EXISTING LAW:
This is a new section of law.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
New York does not currently require sex education to be taught in
schools beyond certain requirements related to HIV/AIDS. Of the public
schools that do provide sex education, the curriculum is often inaccu-
rate, incomplete, or biased. It often fails to prepare students to make
healthy, informed, and consensual decisions about relationships. LGBTQ
relationships are often stigmatized or ignored entirely. Even basic
information about anatomy is inaccurate, and materials often reinforce
negative gender stereotypes.
Comprehensive sexuality education covers issues like healthy relation-
ships, body image, and self-esteem. In kindergarten, that looks like
basic lessons about friendship and communication, providing students
with the building blocks they need to tackle issues like consent and
sexual health years later in middle and high school. At older ages those
lessons include health matters like preventing unintended pregnancy and
sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
Comprehensive sexuality education results in improved educational
outcomes for students. Studies have also found that students who receive
comprehensive sexuality education delay the initiation and reduce the
frequency of sexual intercourse, have fewer sexual partners, and prac-
tice safe sex. Currently 3 in 10 women in New York become pregnant at
least once before their 20th birthdays, and teenagers represent about
50% of the new STI cases in New York.
Comprehensive sexuality education is about more than reducing the rates
of STIs and unintended pregnancy. Educating students about dating
violence prevention, consent, and healthy relationships will reduce
interpersonal violence, sexual harassment, and toxic relationships. The
MeToo movement is part of a reckoning about the pervasiveness of sexual
harassment and violence in our culture. Young people are, unfortunately,
not immune. Nationally, more than two thirds of teenagers who are or
have been in a relationship report experiencing some form of sexual,
physical, or emotional abuse. In New York City, about 12 percent of
teenagers reported experiencing physical dating violence. Without
comprehensive sexuality education, sexual harassment and toxic relation-
ships will continue to spread.
Comprehensive sexuality education will also make schools safer places
for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning youth.
Gay, lesbian, and bisexual students are almost twice as likely as heter-
osexual students to report not going to school because they felt unsafe
at, or on their way to or from, school. For transgender and gender non-
confirming youth, school can be even more difficult: in New York, 74%
of transgender students (or those perceived as transgender) experience
some form of mistreatment: 50% were verbally harassed, 23% report being
physically assaulted, and 12% experienced sexual violence between
kindergarten and 12th grade. School victimization has been linked with
decreased academic achievement, increased suicide ideation, increased
rates of absenteeism, and negative impacts on their emotional health.
Comprehensive sexuality education that dispels stigma around sexuality
and gender combats discrimination, bullying, and harassment and promotes
respect for all youth.
Across party lines, parents overwhelmingly support comprehensive sexual-
ity education in schools. According to a national poll of parents, 93.5%
feel it is important that sex education is taught in middle school, and
96% feel it is important that sex education is taught in high school.
All young people deserve the knowledge, skills, and resources to make
healthy and informed decisions about their bodies and relationships.
Comprehensive sexuality education will empower and educate students to
protect their health and build their futures - without shame or judg-
ment. It is critical that New York students receive this education.
 
AMENDED BILL
The "A" print deleted a provision that was duplicative of existing regu-
lations relating to HIV/AIDS prevention lessons.
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
SENATE
2021-2022 S2584A (Brouk) Referred to Education.
2019-2020 S4844 (Metzger) Referred to Education.
ASSEMBLY
2023-2024 A46404 (Gonzalez-Rojas) Referred to Education.
2021-2022 A6616 (Nolan) Referred to Education.
2019-2020 A6512 (Nolan) Referred to Education.
2018 A10517 (Nolan) Referred to Education.
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
To be determined.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
July 1st next succeeding the date of enactment.