State Rep. Laurie Pohutsky (D-Livonia) talking about legislation to update Michigan’s sex education curriculum. Nov. 13, 2024. Photo by Jon King.
Legislation introduced Wednesday would update the state’s guidelines for sexual education curriculum taught in public schools so that it is “medically accurate, research-informed, inclusive and age- and developmentally appropriate.”
House Bill 6068, introduced by state Rep. Rachel Hood (D-Grand Rapids) would, among other things, remove phrasing that describes abstinence as “a positive lifestyle for unmarried young people,” and instead require schools that opt to teach sex education to stress abstinence as “most protective against unplanned pregnancy and sexually transmitted infection, including human immunodeficiency virus,” or HIV.
It would also end the prohibition against abortion from being taught as a method of family planning or reproductive health, as well as removing the ban on the distribution “in a public school or on public school property (of) a family planning drug or device.”
On a broader scale, students would be provided with information so that they can make decisions about their “optimal sexual health, relationships, and well-being,” including body autonomy, gender, sexual identity and consent.
“Michigan’s youth deserve sex education that accurately puts them in context of the world in which they operate,” said Hood at a press conference in Lansing to announce the legislation. “This approach is proven to ensure that young people learn about bodily autonomy, about boundaries and healthy relationships, that young people are able to foster a culture of self awareness and respect in their communities for themselves and for future generations.”
The bill’s language states that the curriculum is to be based on medically accurate information that is “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.”
Hood stressed that the bill would still allow school districts, parents, and children to opt out of sex education in the classroom, but for those districts that do provide it, that information must be medically accurate.
“The facts are the facts and our children need to be prepared with them. This bill advocates for student and parent representation on the sex education advisory board throughout districts, fostering greater community involvement and input,” she said.
Naomi Norman, superintendent of the Washtenaw Intermediate School District, said the legislation keeps in mind the diversity of communities in the state and leaves them with the option of how they wish to approach the subject.
“The proposed legislation balances this very careful update while maintaining the flexibility on selecting the curriculum at the local district and community level,” said Norman.
“One group that has been historically not visible in the legislation are our children who have developmental delays. As an intermediate school district, we also work very closely around programming for students with special needs. I appreciate the intentionality around developmentally appropriate language that’s included in this revision. It adds a layer of assurance that sex education can be and should be developmentally appropriate for all students,” she said.
State Rep. Laurie Pohutsky (D-Livonia), a member of the House LGBTQ+ Caucus, said the last update to the curriculum was in 2004, the same year the first legal same-sex marriage took place in Massachusetts and 11 years before the U.S. Supreme Court ruled it was legal nationwide.
Pohutsky noted that the current curriculum lacks acknowledgement of that inclusivity and could potentially neglect the experiences and health needs of LGBTQ+ students.
“We must ensure that all students feel heard, supported, and understood. To fail to update this curriculum is to fail our students,” she said. “And I want to be very, very clear. Ignoring LGBTQ students in our schools does not make them go away. Trust me. I went to Catholic school for 12 years, and I still turned out queer. What it does is cause profound harm to them and leaves them vulnerable to mental health struggles, depression and even suicide.”
If approved, the legislation would require sex education curriculum to “Affirmatively recognize that individuals have different sexual orientations and gender identities and, when discussing or providing examples of relationships, be inclusive of various gender relationships.”
Nupur Huria, a representative of the Michigan Organization on Adolescent Sexual Health (MOASH), which helped develop the new guidelines, said she’s recently graduated from Michigan State University and recalled her sex education courses were not particularly helpful.
“As I went through it, I saw the gaps. The places where students like me were left with more questions than answers, or taught to feel uncomfortable about topics that are really central to our health. I remember being in a classroom where certain questions felt off limits, where instead of being encouraged to ask about things like contraception, sexual violence, or puberty, we were often met with awkward silence. Too often, topics that affect us all were hushed, skipped over or never addressed,” said Huria.
Having introduced the legislation, Hood said she was “hopeful” they could get it passed before Republicans regain control of the House in January, despite there being only ten session days left.
“We anticipate that these bills will go through committee and have proper hearings as they normally would,” said Hood. “We have made some strategic decisions to make sure that kids were not victimized by political rhetoric over the course of the election.”
When asked to clarify, Hood acknowledged that among the strategic decisions was waiting until after the election to introduce the bill.
“I hope that those forces, based on evidence and polling, the minority of voices, who don’t understand the value of comprehensive sex education practices in our school districts and across our state will be thoughtful in protecting our kids as we move forward with this critical conversation.”
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