Outline of the state of California
State
California
Requires medically-accurate comprehensive sex education

Category
Sexual Health Education General—MS

Category
Sexual Health Education General—MS

State law requires teaching comprehensive sex education, medically-accurate sex education, or otherwise addresses all elements of comprehensive sex education as defined by the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States.

California Education Code 51931 General Provisions

For the purposes of this chapter, the following definitions apply: (a) “Age appropriate” refers to topics, messages, and teaching methods suitable to particular ages or age groups of children and adolescents, based on developing cognitive, emotional, and behavioral capacity typical for the age or age group. (b) “Comprehensive sexual health education” means education regarding human development and sexuality, including education on pregnancy, contraception, and sexually transmitted infections.

Policy Type
Statute

California Education Code 51933 Required Comprehensive Sexual Health Education and HIV Prevention Education

All comprehensive sexual health education and HIV prevention education pursuant to Section 51934, whether taught or supplemented by school district personnel or by outside consultants or guest speakers pursuant to Section 51936, shall satisfy all of the following criteria: (a) Instruction and materials shall be age appropriate. (b) All factual information presented shall be medically accurate and objective. (c) All instruction and materials shall align with and support the purposes of this chapter as set forth in paragraphs (1) to (5), inclusive, of subdivision (b) of Section 51930 and may not be in conflict with them. (d)

  • (1) Instruction and materials shall be appropriate for use with pupils of all races, genders, sexual orientations, and ethnic and cultural backgrounds, pupils with disabilities, and English learners.
  • (2) Instruction and materials shall be made available on an equal basis to a pupil who is an English learner, consistent with the existing curriculum and alternative options for an English learner pupil as otherwise provided in this code.
  • (3) Instruction and materials shall be accessible to pupils with disabilities, including, but not limited to, the provision of a modified curriculum, materials and instruction in alternative formats, and auxiliary aids.
  • (4) Instruction and materials shall not reflect or promote bias against any person on the basis of any category protected by Section 220.
  • (5) Instruction and materials shall affirmatively recognize that people have different sexual orientations and, when discussing or providing examples of relationships and couples, shall be inclusive of same-sex relationships.
  • (6) Instruction and materials shall teach pupils about gender, gender expression, gender identity, and explore the harm of negative gender stereotypes. (e) Instruction and materials shall encourage a pupil to communicate with his or her parents, guardians, and other trusted adults about human sexuality and provide the knowledge and skills necessary to do so. (f) Instruction and materials shall teach the value of and prepare pupils to have and maintain committed relationships such as marriage. (g) Instruction and materials shall provide pupils with knowledge and skills they need to form healthy relationships that are based on mutual respect and affection, and are free from violence, coercion, and intimidation. (h) Instruction and materials shall provide pupils with knowledge and skills for making and implementing healthy decisions about sexuality, including negotiation and refusal skills to assist pupils in overcoming peer pressure and using effective decisionmaking skills to avoid high-risk activities. (i) Instruction and materials may not teach or promote religious doctrine.
Policy Type
Statute

California Education Code 51934 Required Comprehensive Sexual Health Education and HIV Prevention Education

(a) Each school district shall ensure that all pupils in grades 7 to 12, inclusive, receive comprehensive sexual health education and HIV prevention education from instructors trained in the appropriate courses. Each pupil shall receive this instruction at least once in junior high or middle school and at least once in high school. This instruction shall include all of the following:

  • (1) Information on the nature of HIV, as well as other sexually transmitted infections, and their effects on the human body.
  • (2) Information on the manner in which HIV and other sexually transmitted infections are and are not transmitted, including information on the relative risk of infection according to specific behaviors, including sexual activities and injection drug use.
  • (3) Information that abstinence from sexual activity and injection drug use is the only certain way to prevent HIV and other sexually transmitted infections and abstinence from sexual intercourse is the only certain way to prevent unintended pregnancy. This instruction shall provide information about the value of delaying sexual activity while also providing medically accurate information on other methods of preventing HIV and other sexually transmitted infections and pregnancy.
  • (4) Information about the effectiveness and safety of all federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved methods that prevent or reduce the risk of contracting HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, including use of antiretroviral medication, consistent with the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
  • (5) Information about the effectiveness and safety of reducing the risk of HIV transmission as a result of injection drug use by decreasing needle use and needle sharing.
  • (6) Information about the treatment of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, including how antiretroviral therapy can dramatically prolong the lives of many people living with HIV and reduce the likelihood of transmitting HIV to others.
  • (7) Discussion about social views on HIV and AIDS, including addressing unfounded stereotypes and myths regarding HIV and AIDS and people living with HIV. This instruction shall emphasize that successfully treated HIV-positive individuals have a normal life expectancy, all people are at some risk of contracting HIV, and the only way to know if one is HIV-positive is to get tested.
  • (8) Information about local resources, how to access local resources, and pupils’ legal rights to access local resources for sexual and reproductive health care such as testing and medical care for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections and pregnancy prevention and care, as well as local resources for assistance with sexual assault and intimate partner violence.
  • (9) Information about the effectiveness and safety of all FDA-approved contraceptive methods in preventing pregnancy, including, but not limited to, emergency contraception. Instruction on pregnancy shall include an objective discussion of all legally available pregnancy outcomes, including, but not limited to, all of the following:
    • (A) Parenting, adoption, and abortion.
    • (B) Information on the law on surrendering physical custody of a minor child 72 hours of age or younger, pursuant to Section 1255.7 of the Health and Safety Code and Section 271.5 of the Penal Code.
    • (C) The importance of prenatal care.
    • (10) Information about sexual harassment, sexual assault, sexual abuse, and human trafficking. Information on human trafficking shall include both of the following:
    • (A) Information on the prevalence, nature, and strategies to reduce the risk of human trafficking, techniques to set healthy boundaries, and how to safely seek assistance.
    • (B) Information on how social media and mobile device applications are used for human trafficking.
  • (11) Information about adolescent relationship abuse and intimate partner violence, including the early warning signs thereof.
Policy Type
Statute