HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1711 FILED ON: 2/10/2021
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No.
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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PRESENTED BY:
Marjorie C. Decker
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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:
The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
An Act relative to providing health education in schools.
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PETITION OF:
NAME: DISTRICT/ADDRESS: DATE ADDED:
Marjorie C. Decker 25th Middlesex 2/10/2021
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 HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1711 FILED ON: 2/10/2021
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No.
[Pin Slip]
[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE HOUSE, NO. 427 OF 2019-2020.]
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Second General Court
(2021-2022)
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An Act relative to providing health education in schools.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
of the same, as follows:
1 SECTION 1. Section 1D of chapter 69 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2018
2 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after the word “languages”, in line 6, the words
3 “health education”.
4 SECTION 2. Paragraph 3 of said section 1D of said chapter 69, as so appearing, is hereby
5 further amended by striking out the fourth sentence and inserting in place thereof the following
6 sentence:-
7 The standards for health education shall be age-appropriate, medically accurate and shall,
8 at minimum, provide for instruction in the following areas: growth and physical development,
9 physical activity and fitness, nutrition, reproduction and sexuality, mental health, family life,
10 interpersonal relationships, disease prevention and control, safety and injury prevention, tobacco,
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11 alcohol, and other substance use and abuse prevention, consumer health and resource
12 management, ecological health, and community and public health.
13 SECTION 3. Consistent with the provisions of section 1E of said chapter 69, the
14 Massachusetts Comprehensive Health Curriculum Framework shall be construed as a guide for
15 local school districts in the development and selection of curriculum, textbooks and instructional
16 materials.
17 SECTION 4. Paragraph 14 of section 1I of said chapter 69, as so appearing, is hereby
18 amended in line 206 by striking out the words “nutrition and wellness” and inserting in place
19 thereof the words “health education”.
20 SECTION 5. Consistent with the provisions of section 32A of chapter 71, every city,
21 town, regional school district or vocational school district implementing or maintaining
22 curriculum which primarily involves human sexual education or human sexuality issues shall
23 adopt a policy ensuring parental/guardian notification. Such policy shall afford parents or
24 guardians the flexibility to exempt their children from any portion of said curriculum through
25 written notification to the school principal. No child so exempted shall be penalized by reason of
26 such exemption. To the extent practicable, program instruction materials for said curriculum
27 shall be made reasonably accessible to parents, guardians, educators, school administrators, and
28 others for inspection and review.
29 SECTION 6. Nothing in this act shall be construed to require an MCAS exam on health
30 education.
31 SECTION 7. The foundation budget must be re-evaluated in the categories of (1)
32 classroom and specialist teachers, (2) instructional equipment, and (3) professional development
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33 to ensure sufficient funding to provide the health education envisioned in the Frameworks and
34 Section 2 above.
35 SECTION 8. This act shall take effect on July 1, 2023.
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Statutes affected:
Bill Text: 69-1D