Ohio S.B. 55, 128^th General Assembly
Comprehensive Sexual Health Education in Schools
http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/bills.cfm?ID=128_SB_55

•  To establish standards for comprehensive sexual health education in public schools, to create the “Office of Healthy Schools” within the Department of Education, to require the State Board of Education to adopt health education standards closely modeled after the National Health Education Standards (NHES).

Introduced by: Senator Teresa Fedor (D), District 11
Co-Sponsors: Sawyer, Miller, R.

This bill requires school districts and community schools to provide age-appropriate sex health education involving information about abstinence and safe sex practices. Beginning in grade seven, students are to be educated about sexually transmitted infections. Students will also be taught “that abstinence is the only certain way to prevent unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, and shall stress the value of abstinence while not ignoring those young people who have been or are sexually active. Therefore, abstinence shall not be taught to the exclusion of other instruction and materials on contraceptive and disease reduction measures.” Moreover, the legislation requires that sexual health education not “include any instruction or materials that teach or promote religious doctrine.”

Date introduced: 2/18/09
Committee Assigned: Education, Chair: Gary Cates (R)