S 6901: Establishes the healthy and safe students act; requires comprehensive sexuality instruction for students in grades K-12 which includes a model curricula for comprehensive sexuality education and at a minimum conforms to the content and scope of national sexuality education standards.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 6901 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN SENATE March 26, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sens. SALAZAR, BRISPORT, BROUK, CLEARE, GIANARIS, GONZA- LEZ, GOUNARDES, HOYLMAN-SIGAL, JACKSON, KRUEGER, LIU, MAY, MYRIE, RAMOS, RIVERA, SERRANO -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Education AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to establishing the heal- thy and safe students act The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as 2 the "healthy and safe students act". 3 § 2. The education law is amended by adding a new section 804-e to 4 read as follows: 5 § 804-e. Healthy and safe students. 1. Each public and charter school 6 shall ensure all pupils receive, as an integral part of education in 7 grades kindergarten through twelve, comprehensive sexuality education. 8 2. The commissioner, in consultation with the commissioner of health, 9 shall develop and establish a comprehensive sexuality education program. 10 Such program of instruction shall include: (i) model curricula for 11 comprehensive sexuality education in grades kindergarten through twelve 12 including exemplar lesson plans, instructional tools and materials, and 13 best practice instructional resources that are suitable to student age, 14 based on cognitive, emotional, and behavioral capacity and at a minimum 15 conforms to the content and scope of national sexuality education stand- 16 ards; (ii) resources to support implementation of the instruction in the 17 schools; and (iii) public availability of all program materials related 18 to comprehensive sexuality education on the department's website. 19 3. In the development of such program, the commissioners shall seek 20 the recommendations of a broad range of experts such as teachers certi- 21 fied in health, biology, family and consumer science, early childhood 22 education, and childhood education, certified and licensed social work- 23 ers, school nurses, school administrators, school board members, parent EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD11299-02-5 
 S. 6901 2 1 teacher association members, others with educational expertise in inti- 2 mate partner violence, sexual assault, reproductive and sexual health 3 care, and serving lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning 4 youth. Such program of comprehensive sexuality instruction shall be 5 reviewed periodically by the commissioner in consultation with the 6 commissioner of health, at intervals specified by the commissioner, and 7 updated as necessary. 8 4. The commissioner shall prescribe in regulations such contents and 9 topics to be included in a curriculum of comprehensive sexuality 10 instruction; provided, however, that the curricula need not be uniform 11 throughout the state; and provided further, however, that school 12 districts shall utilize either a curriculum for comprehensive sexuality 13 education instruction prescribed by the commissioner or a curriculum in 14 accordance with the criteria established by the commissioner. 15 5. Upon approval and adoption by the board of regents, the department 16 shall issue guidance to the school districts about the program on 17 comprehensive sexuality instruction and publish on its website model 18 curricula and instructional resources required by this section. School 19 districts shall provide comprehensive sexuality education instruction no 20 later than the school year following the effective date of this section. 21 No later than the second year after the effective date of this section 22 and as necessary thereafter, the commissioner shall conduct a review of 23 district implementation to monitor compliance. 24 6. The boards of education or trustees of the cities and school 25 districts of the state that choose not to adopt the model curriculum 26 approved by the board of regents shall each establish an advisory coun- 27 cil which shall make recommendations to the board of education or trus- 28 tees concerning the curriculum, content, and evaluation of the compre- 29 hensive sexuality education required pursuant to this section. The 30 advisory council shall include, but need not be limited to, members of 31 the school board or trustees, school authorities, a teacher designated 32 by a teacher's collective bargaining organization, other staff, parents, 33 students, and other representatives of the community. The board of 34 education or trustees of a school district shall determine the curric- 35 ulum and content of the program within the school district and shall be 36 responsible for the evaluation of the program within the district and 37 ensuring the program conforms in content and scope to the comprehensive 38 sexuality education program established by the commissioner. 39 7. The board of education and trustees of the cities and school 40 districts of the state shall establish a process by which a parent or 41 guardian of a student may elect for the student not to participate in 42 select lessons regarding HIV/AIDS prevention; provided, however, that 43 such process shall require written notice signed by the student's parent 44 or guardian for each school year. 45 8. As used in this article, "comprehensive sexuality education" means 46 a medically accurate, age-appropriate sequential learning program which 47 addresses physical, mental, emotional and social dimensions of human 48 sexuality, is trauma-responsive and culturally appropriate, incorporates 49 skills-based instruction; provides students with knowledge and skills 50 they need to form relationships that are based on mutual respect and 51 affection and that are free from violence, coercion, and intimidation; 52 and are respectful and inclusive of all students regardless of actual or 53 perceived race, color, weight, national origin, ethnic group, religion, 54 religious practice, disability, sexual orientation, or gender as defined 55 in section eleven of this chapter. Comprehensive sexuality education 56 shall include, but is not limited to, age-appropriate instruction on: 
 S. 6901 3 1 (i) human anatomy, reproduction, and sexual development; (ii) consent, 2 bodily autonomy, boundary-setting, bullying, and peer pressure; (iii) 3 healthy relationships, including relationships involving diverse sexual 4 orientations and gender identities and prevention of intimate partner 5 violence, sexual violence and sexual harassment; (iv) methods for 6 preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections; (v) gender, 7 gender expression, gender identity, diversity of sex characteristics, 8 and the harms of gender stereotypes; (vi) the relationship between 9 substance use and sexual behavior and health; and (vii) the use of tech- 10 nology and social media in interpersonal relationships. 11 § 3. This act shall take effect on the first of July next succeeding 12 the date on which it shall have become a law.