A Gwinnett County state representative has prefiled legislation that would add a number of requirements to sex education curriculums in schools across the state. House Bill 857, prefiled by Rep. Jasmine Clark (D-Lilburn) includes a requirement for a ‘consent’ curriculum to be taught as a part of sex education — a move she says will “protect children from sexual assault.”
Rep. Jasmine Clark
“There has been a lot of talk at the Capitol about ‘protecting children,’ and this legislation will go a long way in actually protecting our children and young adults from a real, tangible threat,” said Clark. “Equipping our youth with the information to understand what is and what is not consent can reduce sexual assault in our state. This is common sense legislation that is backed by science.
“Research shows that teaching affirmative consent during adolescence has a significant impact on reducing both perpetration of and being subject to sexual violence. If there is a way to prevent future sexual assaults, then we should not hesitate to employ it,” Clark added.
HB 857 would require schools to provide age-appropriate instruction concerning consent, sex education, and AIDS prevention, as well as awareness and prevention of sexual abuse and assault for each grade level as determined by the State Board of Education. This instruction would be required for students in kindergarten through ninth grade, according to the bill.
As part of this legislation, the local board of education will be authorized to supplement and develop the exact approach of the content area. The bill states that “standards shall include age-appropriate instruction relating to consent, the handling of peer pressure, the promotion of high self-esteem, local community values, the legal consequences of parenthood, and abstinence from sexual activity as an effective method of prevention of pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS).”
This bill also requires that a manual outlining the details of the course of study be prepared by, or approved by, the State School Superintendent in cooperation with the Department of Public Health, the State Board of Education, and others as determined by the State BOE.
As written, the bill states that any parent or legal guardian will have the right to elect, in writing, that their child “not receive such course of study.”
