House File 465
HOUSE FILE
BY MASCHER
Passed House, Date Passed Senate, Date
Vote: Ayes Nays Vote: Ayes Nays
Approved
A BILL FOR
1 An Act relating to the human growth and development, health
2 education, and family life instruction by school districts and
3 accredited nonpublic schools.
4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
5 TLSB 2850HH 80
6 kh/pj/5
PAG LIN
1 1 Section 1. Section 256.9, Code 2003, is amended by adding
1 2 the following new subsection:
1 3 NEW SUBSECTION. 52. Prepare and make available to school
1 4 districts and accredited nonpublic schools courses of
1 5 instruction that meet the requirements of section 256.11,
1 6 subsection 15. The director shall develop a procedure for
1 7 evaluating and measuring the effectiveness of human growth and
1 8 development, health education, and family life curricula in
1 9 each school district and accredited nonpublic school,
1 10 including the setting of reasonable goals for reduced sexual
1 11 activity, sexually transmitted diseases, and premarital
1 12 pregnancy.
1 13 Sec. 2. Section 256.11, subsections 2, 3, and 4, Code
1 14 2003, are amended to read as follows:
1 15 2. The kindergarten program shall include experiences
1 16 designed to develop healthy emotional and social habits and
1 17 growth in the language arts and communication skills, as well
1 18 as a capacity for the completion of individual tasks, and
1 19 protect and increase physical well=being with attention given
1 20 to experiences relating to the development of life skills and
1 21 medically accurate and age appropriate human growth and
1 22 development. A kindergarten teacher shall be licensed to
1 23 teach in kindergarten. An accredited nonpublic school must
1 24 meet the requirements of this subsection only if the nonpublic
1 25 school offers a kindergarten program.
1 26 3. The following areas shall be taught in grades one
1 27 through six: English=language arts, social studies,
1 28 mathematics, science, health, medically accurate and age
1 29 appropriate human growth and development, physical education,
1 30 traffic safety, music, and visual art. The health curriculum
1 31 shall include medically accurate and age appropriate
1 32 information regarding the characteristics of communicable
1 33 diseases including acquired immune deficiency syndrome. The
1 34 state board as part of accreditation standards shall adopt
1 35 curriculum definitions for implementing the elementary
2 1 program.
2 2 4. The following shall be taught in grades seven and
2 3 eight: English=language arts; social studies; mathematics;
2 4 science; health; medically accurate and age appropriate human
2 5 growth and development, family, consumer, career, and
2 6 technology education; physical education; music; and visual
2 7 art. The health curriculum shall include medically accurate
2 8 and age appropriate information regarding the characteristics
2 9 of sexually transmitted diseases and acquired immune
2 10 deficiency syndrome. The state board as part of accreditation
2 11 standards shall adopt curriculum definitions for implementing
2 12 the program in grades seven and eight. However, this
2 13 subsection shall not apply to the teaching of family,
2 14 consumer, career, and technology education in nonpublic
2 15 schools.
2 16 Sec. 3. Section 256.11, subsection 5, paragraph j,
2 17 unnumbered paragraph 1, Code 2003, is amended to read as
2 18 follows:
2 19 One unit of health education which shall include personal
2 20 health; food and nutrition; environmental health; safety and
2 21 survival skills; consumer health; family life; medically
2 22 accurate and age appropriate human growth and development;
2 23 substance abuse and nonuse; emotional and social health;
2 24 health resources; and prevention and control of disease,
2 25 including medically accurate and age appropriate information
2 26 regarding sexually transmitted diseases and acquired immune
2 27 deficiency syndrome.
2 28 Sec. 4. Section 256.11, Code 2003, is amended by adding
2 29 the following new subsection:
2 30 NEW SUBSECTION. 15. All human growth and development,
2 31 health education, and family life courses of instruction
2 32 offered at grade levels six through twelve that discuss sexual
2 33 activity or behavior shall satisfy the following conditions:
2 34 a. Information presented in course material and
2 35 instruction shall be medically accurate and objective.
3 1 b. All course materials and instruction shall be age and
3 2 developmentally appropriate.
3 3 c. Course materials and instruction shall include the
3 4 following:
3 5 (1) Parameters for a discussion of sexual abstinence as a
3 6 method to prevent unintended pregnancy and sexually
3 7 transmitted diseases such as HIV.
3 8 (2) Presentation of the latest medically factual
3 9 information regarding both the possible side effects and
3 10 health benefits of all forms of contraception.
3 11 (3) Discussion of the possible consequences of unintended
3 12 pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV. The
3 13 materials and instruction shall stress the potentially serious
3 14 hazards of sexual activity or behavior.
3 15 (4) Statistics based on the latest medical information
3 16 citing the failure and success rates of all contraceptive
3 17 methods for the prevention of pregnancy and sexually
3 18 transmitted diseases such as HIV.
3 19 (5) Provision for the development of positive
3 20 communication skills that support and maintain healthy
3 21 relationships and reject unwanted sexual activity.
3 22 (6) Emphasize a student's power to control personal
3 23 behavior. Students shall be encouraged to base their actions
3 24 on reasoning, self=discipline, sense of responsibility, self=
3 25 control, and ethical considerations, such as respect for
3 26 oneself and others.
3 27 (7) Methods that teach students not to make unwanted
3 28 physical and verbal sexual advances and how to reject unwanted
3 29 sexual advances. The materials and instruction shall cover
3 30 verbal, physical, and visual sexual harassment, including
3 31 nonconsensual sexual advances, nonconsensual physical sexual
3 32 contact, and rape by an acquaintance. The course materials
3 33 and instruction shall emphasize personal accountability and
3 34 respect for others and shall also encourage youth to resist
3 35 peer pressure.
4 1 (8) Shall teach that it is wrong to take advantage of or
4 2 exploit another person.
4 3 (9) Instruction in the potential legal consequences of
4 4 sexual assault under the Iowa criminal code.
4 5 (10) Shall be free of racial, ethnic, and gender biases.
4 6 (11) Shall teach students about counseling, medical and
4 7 legal resources available to survivors of sexual abuse and
4 8 sexual assault, including resources for escaping violent
4 9 relationships.
4 10 d. For purposes of this subsection, "HIV" means the same
4 11 as defined in section 141A.1.
4 12 e. "Medically accurate", as used in this section, means
4 13 supported by research conducted in compliance with accepted
4 14 scientific methods; recognized as accurate and objective by
4 15 leading professional organizations and agencies with relevant
4 16 expertise in the field, which may include but shall not be
4 17 limited to the American college of obstetricians and
4 18 gynecologists and the centers for disease control and
4 19 prevention of the United States department of health and human
4 20 services; and published in peer=reviewed publications where
4 21 appropriate.
4 22 EXPLANATION
4 23 This bill requires that the educational programs provided
4 24 by school districts and accredited nonpublic schools must
4 25 ensure that human growth and development, health education,
4 26 and family life courses provide information that is medically
4 27 accurate and age appropriate. The bill also requires that the
4 28 department of education prepare and make available to school
4 29 districts and accredited nonpublic schools courses of
4 30 instruction that are medically accurate and age appropriate
4 31 and to develop a procedure for evaluating and measuring human
4 32 growth and development, health education, and family life
4 33 curricula in the schools.
4 34 The bill provides a list of items that all human growth and
4 35 development, health education, and family life courses of
5 1 instruction offered at grade levels 6 through 12 that discuss
5 2 sexual activity or behavior must include.
5 3 The bill defines "medically accurate" to mean supported by
5 4 scientific research, recognized as accurate and objective by
5 5 leading professional organizations and agencies, and published
5 6 in peer=reviewed publications.
5 7 LSB 2850HH 80
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