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Senate Bill 1109 |
Senate Author: West et al. |
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Effective: Vetoed |
House Sponsor: Anchia |
Senate Bill 1109 amends the Education Code to require the State Board of Education to adopt rules requiring students to receive instruction on the prevention of child abuse, family violence, and dating violence at least once in middle or junior high school and at least twice in high school. The bill sets out information required to be included in the instruction, revises the required contents of a public school district's dating violence policy, and requires a district, to the extent possible, to make available to students certain educational materials and resources relating to dating violence.
Governor's Reason for Veto: "Senate Bill 1109 would require every school district to provide instruction to middle school and high school students regarding the prevention of child abuse, family violence, and dating violence. These are important subjects and I respect the Senate author's good intentions, but the bill fails to recognize the right of parents to opt their children out of the instruction. I have vetoed similar legislation before on this ground, because we must safeguard parental rights regarding this type of instruction. I look forward to working with the Legislature on a narrower approach."