Page 4 THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2023 Mass. Board of Education approves new guidelines for physical, sexual health education First time since 1999 that new frameworks have been approved Advocate Staff Report or the fi rst time in decades, the over 900,000 public school students in Massachusetts will have a new set of physical and sexual health education guidelines in the classroom. Many districts, including Everett, Malden, Revere and Saugus Public Schools, include sexual health education in their curriculums. While the new frameworks have been approved, Massachusetts does not require schools to teach sexual education. It is entirely an individual choice of the 316 districts in Massachusetts. Also, individual Districts can craft their own curriculum and can choose whether they adopt the new standards. The new education framework will include topics of consent, LGBTQ+ inclusivity and the impact of changing technology on health. The Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education unanimously voted to approve the new guidelines in a meeting Tuesday. The board F The Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education adopted new guidelines on sexual health education for the fi rst time since 1999. voted in favor of the new standards on Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) Commissioner Jeff rey Riley’s recommendation. There is also legislation moving its way through the state House of Representatives, led by state Rep. Jim O’Day (D-Worcester), the Healthy Youth Act, a comprehensive sex education bill that he has been pushing for years, which requires schools that off er sexual health educaThe new frameworks adopted for sexual health education in Massachusetts are more inclusive of LGBTQ+ identities and include topics like bodily autonomy, mental health, dating safety and sexually transmitted infections. tion to “provide a medically accurate, age-appropriate, comprehensive sexual health education.” It still would not require sexual health education to be taught in schools and would leave that choice to individual districts. This past June, Gov. Maura Healey led the push for updates to the guidelines to make them more inclusive of LGBTQ+ identities and include topics regarding bodily autonomy, mental health, dating safety, sexually transmitted infections and more. The vote came after a 60day public comment period, where DESE received almost 5,400 responses – both in favor of and against the changes. The curriculum includes guidelines for different age groups: pre-K through second grade, third to fi fth grade, sixth to eighth grade, and ninth to 12th grade. For younger students, topics are healthy eating, hygiene, emergency response, bullying, gender stereotypes and more. Guidelines as students get older are more education about having healthy romantic relationships, gender identity, substance use and more. All who have worked on the initiative have stressed it is important students have the age-appropriate information they need about topics of sex, diversity and gender. SABATINO INSURANCE AGENCY 519 BROADWAY EVERETT, MA 02149 Auto * Home * Boat * Renter * Condo * Life * Multi-Policy Discounts * Commercial 10% Discounts * Registry Service Also Available Sabatino Insurance is proud to welo welcome the loyal cust mers o tino Insur nce is p yal customers of co PHONE: (617) 387-7466 FAX: (617) 381-9186 Visit us online at: WWW.SABATINO-INS.COM
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