California Healthy Youth Act (AB 329)
California state law, the California Healthy Youth Act (AB 329), requires that comprehensive sexual health education and HIV prevention education be provided for students at least once in middle school and once in high school, starting in grade 7. According to MVUSD Policy and Administrative Regulation, 6142.1(b)(c), Comprehensive sexual health education shall be offered to all student in grades 7-12. Please see FAQs for more information.
Instruction must encourage students to communicate with parents, guardians or other trusted adults about human sexuality. Instruction must be medically accurate, age‐appropriate and inclusive of all students. It must include the following:
- Information about HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including transmission, FDA approved methods to prevent HIV and STIs, and treatment.
- Information that abstinence is the only certain way to prevent unintended pregnancy, HIV and other STIs, and information about the value of delaying sexual activity.
- Discussion about social views on HIV and AIDS.
- Information about accessing resources for sexual and reproductive health care.
- Information about pregnancy, including FDA-approved prevention methods, pregnancy outcomes, prenatal care, and the newborn safe surrender law.
- Information about sexual orientation and gender, including the harm of negative stereotypes.
- Information about healthy relationships and avoiding unhealthy behaviors and situations.
Murrieta Valley Unified School District trained instructors will be providing health and science instruction for eighth grade science classes and ninth grade health classes. Parents will be sent a notification prior to lessons being started in the classroom. State law and district policy allows parents to opt their students out of this instruction. If parents do not want their student to participate in comprehensive sexual health or HIV prevention education, he/she will be able to submit a written request to their student’s teacher.
To read the board policies and administrative regulations, please click on this link to take you to the course outlines. To read the parent notifications and opt-out information, please click the following: middle school parent letter or high school parent letter.
To make an appointment to view the materials used in instruction, email Sheri Calderon, in Secondary Education. Appointments are available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Quick Facts About Comprehensive Sex Education in Murrieta Valley USD
FAQs
The 2019 Health Education Curriculum Framework for California Public Schools, Kindergarten through Grade Twelve (Health Education Framework) is a guidance document that districts may use when developing health education programs for students. The framework provides guidance for teachers and administrators on how to teach California’s 2008 Health Education Content Standards. It is NOT the law.
There is a clear difference between the California Healthy Youth Act and the 2019 Health Education Curriculum Framework. Please click on this text to view a PDF explanation of the difference.
As mentioned above, parents/guardians can excuse their children from lessons about comprehensive sexual health and HIV prevention education, as well as research on student health behaviors and risks.
However, as stated in Education Code 51932(b), the opt-out provision of the California Healthy Youth Act does not apply to instruction or materials outside the context of comprehensive sexual health education, including those that may reference gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, discrimination, bullying, relationships, or family. For example, the opt-out rule associated with comprehensive sexual health education would not apply to a social studies lesson on the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2015 ruling in favor of same-sex marriage. Read more about the FAIR Education Act of 2011.
Yes! According to law, parents or guardians must be notified by the school or district at the beginning of the school year, at least 14 days in advance, or at the time of enrollment about planned instruction in comprehensive sexual health and HIV prevention education and research on student health behaviors and risks.
The notice must advise parents/guardians that the written and audiovisual educational materials used in the comprehensive sexual health education and HIV prevention education course are available for inspection.
The school district must also inform parents/guardians about whether the instruction will be provided by district personnel or outside consultants or guest speakers. Further, all instruction and materials from outside consultants or guest speakers must meet all tenets of the law. If instruction will be provided by outside consultants or guest speakers, the notice must include the name and organizational affiliation of the outside consultant or guest speaker and the date of the instruction.
The notice must also inform parents/guardians of their right to request copies of Education Code §§ 51933, 51934, and 51938. If arrangements are made after the initial notification is sent out at the beginning of the year, districts must notify parents at least 14 days prior to the instruction via mail or another commonly used method. (EC § 51938(b).)
In this notification, schools must advise parents/guardians that they have the right to excuse their child from comprehensive sexual health education and HIV prevention education and that in order to excuse their child they must state their request in writing to the school district. (EC § 51938(b)(4).
Please click on this text to view the parent notification for eighth grade (middle school).
Please click on this text to view the parent notification for freshman (high school).
No, the state legislation originally known as AB 329, requires that students in grades seven through 12 receive comprehensive sexual health education and HIV prevention education at least once in middle school and once in high school.
School districts are tasked with selecting their own curricula under the leadership of their locally elected boards and superintendents.
Under AB 329, abstinence may not be discussed in isolation from other methods of preventing HIV, other sexually transmitted infections — or STIs — and pregnancy. However, the law requires that instruction and materials include information explaining that abstinence is the only certain way to prevent HIV, other STIs and unintended pregnancies. It also states that “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.”