California Gov. Davis Signs Bill Ensuring Accurate Sex Education, HIV Education Curricula Taught in Schools

California Gov. Gray Davis (D) on Thursday signed into law a package of six reproductive health-related bills, including a bill that would streamline the state's sex education curriculum, the Los Angeles Times reports (Halper, Los Angeles Times, 10/3). The sex education law (SB 71) ensures that students who receive sex education in schools receive accurate information on abstinence, human sexuality, contraception, pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases in an age-appropriate manner (Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report, 8/14). According to Sen. Sheila Kuehl (D), who sponsored the bill, the law will require schools that teach sex education or HIV prevention classes to send notices to parents at the start of the school year informing them of the dates students are scheduled to take sex education or HIV/AIDS prevention classes and if they are scheduled to participate in sexual behavior surveys. Under the new law, parents who do not want their children participating in the classes or surveys can return the notification form indicating that they wish to exclude their child from the instruction or survey. However, if the notification form is not returned, parental consent for all classes or surveys is assumed (Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report, 9/15).