By Coleman H.B. No. 2469
74R6627 KKA-D
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to health education instruction in public schools.
1-3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-4 SECTION 1. Section 21.101(a), Education Code, is amended to
1-5 read as follows:
1-6 (a) Each school district that offers prekindergarten through
1-7 grade 12 shall offer a well-balanced curriculum that includes:
1-8 (1) English language arts;
1-9 (2) other languages, to the extent possible;
1-10 (3) mathematics;
1-11 (4) science;
1-12 (5) health, as provided by Section 21.104;
1-13 (6) physical education;
1-14 (7) fine arts;
1-15 (8) social studies;
1-16 (9) economics, with emphasis on the free enterprise
1-17 system and its benefits;
1-18 (10) business education;
1-19 (11) vocational education; and
1-20 (12) Texas and United States history as individual
1-21 subjects and in reading courses.
1-22 SECTION 2. Subchapter D, Chapter 21, Education Code, is
1-23 amended by adding Section 21.104 to read as follows:
1-24 Sec. 21.104. HEALTH EDUCATION INSTRUCTION. (a) The State
2-1 Board of Education shall, with the assistance of parents, the Texas
2-2 Department of Health, and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating
2-3 Board, adopt general guidelines for instruction in health
2-4 education. The guidelines must:
2-5 (1) require the provision of age-appropriate
2-6 instruction to each student enrolled in prekindergarten,
2-7 kindergarten, or grades 1-12 in:
2-8 (A) communicable diseases, including acquired
2-9 immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and human immunodeficiency virus
2-10 infection (HIV);
2-11 (B) community and environmental health;
2-12 (C) consumer health;
2-13 (D) dental health;
2-14 (E) tobacco, alcohol, and other drug use;
2-15 (F) human growth and development;
2-16 (G) hereditary and developmental conditions;
2-17 (H) mental health;
2-18 (I) nutrition, personal health, and physical
2-19 fitness;
2-20 (J) family life issues;
2-21 (K) injury prevention and emergency care;
2-22 (L) motor vehicle safety;
2-23 (M) high-risk behaviors, including student
2-24 sexual activity and physical and mental abuse; and
2-25 (N) family roles, child development, and
2-26 parenting;
2-27 (2) require the presentation of abstinence from sexual
3-1 activity as the preferred choice of behavior for an unmarried
3-2 student;
3-3 (3) require a district to permit a parent to remove a
3-4 student from any part of the district's health education
3-5 instruction that conflicts with the religious beliefs of the parent
3-6 or student; and
3-7 (4) recommend:
3-8 (A) the methods of instruction to be used by a
3-9 teacher in the area of health education;
3-10 (B) the number of hours of instruction to be
3-11 provided in health education; and
3-12 (C) appropriate training to be provided to a
3-13 teacher in the area of health education.
3-14 (b) A school district shall determine the specific content
3-15 of the district's instruction in health education, consistent with
3-16 the state guidelines adopted under Subsection (a), after
3-17 considering the recommendations of a local health education
3-18 advisory council created under Subsection (c).
3-19 (c) A school district shall establish a local health
3-20 education advisory council to assist the district in ensuring that
3-21 local community values and health issues are reflected in the
3-22 district's health education instruction. The council:
3-23 (1) must include persons who represent diverse views
3-24 in the community about health education instruction;
3-25 (2) must include parents of students enrolled in the
3-26 district as a majority of the council; and
3-27 (3) may include teachers, school administrators,
4-1 students, health care professionals, members of the business
4-2 community, law enforcement representatives, senior citizens, or
4-3 other interested persons.
4-4 (d) A school district shall notify a parent of each student
4-5 enrolled in the district of:
4-6 (1) the basic content of the district's health
4-7 education instruction to be provided to the student; and
4-8 (2) the parent's right to remove the student from any
4-9 part of the district's health education instruction that conflicts
4-10 with the religious beliefs of the parent or student.
4-11 (e) A school district shall make all curriculum materials
4-12 used in the district's health education instruction available for
4-13 reasonable public inspection.
4-14 SECTION 3. This Act applies beginning with the 1996-1997
4-15 school year.
4-16 SECTION 4. (a) The State Board of Education shall adopt
4-17 guidelines, as required by Section 21.104(a), Education Code, as
4-18 added by this Act, not later than January 1, 1996.
4-19 (b) The board of trustess of a school district shall
4-20 establish a local health education advisory council, as required by
4-21 Section 21.104(c), Education Code, as added by this Act, not later
4-22 than January 1, 1996.
4-23 SECTION 5. The importance of this legislation and the
4-24 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
4-25 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
4-26 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
4-27 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.