Students of color make up the majority of Texas public school enrollment, and these young people need sex education curriculum that is trauma informed and culturally responsive to the structural barriers to reproductive health care and education that young people of color often face. Such discretion allows for the implementation of policies and curriculum that stigmatize marginalized youth, such as students of color and LGBTQ youth, and presents further challenges in ensuring that low income districts have access to the resources needed to implement comprehensive sex education. Mandating local control over sex education presents unique challenges that have resulted in a glaring disparity regarding the quality of sex education that students receive. Since Texas schools are not required to provide sex education to students, school districts are left to decide what type of sex education–if any at all–they provide to youth. Such opposition is fueled by federal abstinence-only funding and Texas receives the highest amount of abstinence-only funding in the country. One opponent, Texas Values, is an organization that opposes advancements in access to abortion care, LGBTQ rights, and comprehensive sex education, and has historically mobilized opposition to advocate for restrictive policies when sex education curriculum is under review by the state and Independent School Districts (ISDs). While opponents of comprehensive sex education are in the minority in Texas, their voices are often the loudest and are being carefully considered by advocates. However, advocates report some success in advancing digital advocacy efforts. Some districts, including ones that were advancing their sex education curriculum, have reported halting all sex education programming due to hesitations in teaching it in a virtual setting. In light of the coronavirus pandemic, the ability of young people to receive sex education has been severely reduced. This is referred to as an “opt-in” policy.
House Bill 1525, introduced by Representative Dan Huberty and enacted on June 16, 2021, reduces access to sex education by including a provision that requires schools to receive parental consent prior to their children receiving sex education. Further, House Bill 1037 and Senate Bill 129 sought to remove heteronormative language pertaining to marriage within Texas code. They also sought to remove the requirement to teach that “homosexual conduct” is not an acceptable lifestyle and a criminal offense within sex education. The bills sought to repeal section 21.06 of the Penal Code, which states that homosexual conduct is a criminal offense. In light of the unsuccessful effort to include instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity within the new sex education requirements, several bills ( House Bill 1038, Senate Bill 261, House Bill 1037, Senate Bill 129) were introduced during the 2021 legislative session, but were ultimatley unsuccessful. Several advocates plan on working with statewide partners to support school districts in adopting the new requirements in addition to adopting advanced, more comprehensive, sex education. Right now, advocates are working on advancing the adoption of updated instructional materials following the updated requirements. While efforts to repeal the state’s discriminatory teaching requirements on sexual orientation and gender identity or include instruction on consent were ultimately unsuccessful, schools are now required to provide instruction on birth control methods to students in seventh and eighth grade. The Texas Freedom Network, with support from SIECUS, led the #TeachTheTruth campaign to ensure the School Board of Education took steps to advance curriculum in Texas. While the Texas legislature was not in session in 2020, the Texas State Board of Education revised the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for Health Education for the first time in over two decades.
Print / PDF Download Texas’ Sex Education SnapshotĪdvocates in Texas have diligently worked against efforts to limit sex education across the state and are gearing up for a historic opportunity to advance comprehensive sex education for young people.