Sex education classes in Florida schools would be restricted to grades 6 through 12 if a bill currently before the state’s legislature becomes law.
Sponsored by State Rep. Stan McClain (R-Ocala), HB1069 would prohibit discussions about sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV and others in grade levels below grade 6, and require schools to teach that a person’s sexual identity is determined biologically at birth.
The proposed measure would also require sex education instruction in schools grades 6 through 12 to teach that a person’s sex is determined biologically at birth, that reproductive roles are carried out by biological males and females, and that those “reproductive roles are binary, stable, and unchangeable.”
Opponents of the proposed measure say that the measure would prevent girls younger than age 12 who attend elementary schools in the state from discussing their periods and other reproductive health issues with their teachers or guidance counselors.
Meanwhile, HB 1069 would also require that the Florida Department of Education approve any materials contained in school libraries and used in classrooms and create forms allowing parents and other members of the school community to object to the use of materials on grounds that they contain sexual or pornographic content.
Under the measure, materials would be removed from classrooms within five school days after an objection is filed and will remain off the shelves and out of classrooms until the objection is resolved.
HB 1069 remains pending in the Florida legislature.
