Sex Education

They want districts to restrict some lesson plans on contraception, anatomy and consent, saying the lessons are inappropriate for students.

In Florida, materials about reproductive health, human sexuality and sexually transmitted diseases for any grade must be approved by state officials. A letter from the state agency indicates curriculum was due for review by the end of September.

Lawmakers are poised to extend the Parents Rights in Education law to higher grade levels, but the education board beat them to it by expanding the rule to including Grades 4-12.

On this week's Florida Roundup, we discuss a bill to restrict "period talk" in schools, foreclosures as code enforcement, and a drug-resistant fungus that's spreading in Florida.

The bill sponsored by Republican Rep. Stan McClain would restrict public school instruction on human sexuality, sexually transmitted diseases and related topics to grades 6 through 12. McClain said that discussions about menstrual cycles would also be restricted to those grades.

The House Education Quality Subcommittee voted 13-5 along party lines to support the measure, with sponsor Stan McClain, R-Ocala, pushing back against opponents who characterized it as enabling book bans.

The workgroup developing the training includes members of the conservative group Moms for Liberty, who have aggressively voiced their concerns about the material children encounter at school.

When a majority of the Miami-Dade County School Board voted to toss out two sex ed textbooks, the issue hit home for Steve Gallon, who was himself a teen father. He says more comprehensive sex education as a student could have changed the trajectory of his life.

The Miami-Dade County School Board voted 5 to 4 to approve two sex ed textbooks — a surprising reversal after the board tossed out the textbooks at a meeting on July 20, 2022. Outgoing board Chair Perla Tabares Hantman cast the decisive vote.

The Miami-Dade County School Board is holding a special meeting to discuss the consequences of not offering sex education. More than 2,000 people have signed a petition urging the district to adopt new sex ed teaching materials, after the board voted to toss out two textbooks.

Alberto Carvalho said he hopes the school board fast-tracks a plan to adopt new books and restore the sex ed curriculum — especially since state law requires health classes to cover teen pregnancy and teen dating violence.

Following a contentious public meeting Wednesday, Miami-Dade County school board members voted to reject sex education textbooks they had previously approved. District staff say the subject can't be taught until new materials are approved — which will take months.