By: Journalist Andrea Gooden (ORU)
The Oklahoma Intercollegiate Legislature has introduced House Bill No. TU-504, titled the “Mandatory Sex Education Act of 2024.”
This bill proposes changes to the current sex education standards in Oklahoma public schools by requiring comprehensive sexual health education across multiple grade levels.
The bill expands on existing AIDS prevention education to include broader topics such as HIV and AIDS transmission, prevention methods and relevant statistics. It introduces lessons on sexually transmitted diseases, healthy relationships and information about LGBTQ+ individuals. Education will be provided during three stages: grades 5-6, grades 7-9, and grades 10-12.
Under the bill, students will receive instruction that includes skills such as peer resistance, negotiation and communication-related to sexual health. It also emphasizes abstinence as the only certain method of preventing HIV transmission and discusses other prevention strategies, including artificial birth control methods.
Parents will have access to all curriculum materials before they are taught in classrooms. Schools are required to make these materials available for public inspection and host informational presentations for parents at least one month before lessons begin. Unlike the current law, parents will not have the option to exempt their children from this education.
The bill also includes requirements for the materials to be reviewed and updated regularly by the State Department of Health and the State Department of Education to ensure medical accuracy. It mandates that the curriculum reflect current scientific findings and include information relevant to diverse student populations.
The legislation specifies that instruction must highlight factors that increase HIV risk, such as certain behaviors, and provide medically accurate explanations of transmission and prevention methods. It also incorporates examples of same-sex relationships and addresses intersex individuals in the curriculum.
Currently, Oklahoma law requires schools to teach AIDS prevention, focusing on abstinence and basic medical facts, with parents allowed to opt their children out. House Bill No. TU-504 expands this by adding topics like LGBTQ+ inclusivity, peer resistance skills and broader sexual health education. Unlike current law, the bill removes the parental opt-out option, making participation mandatory for all students.
Its proposed changes aim to align sex education with updated medical knowledge and provide consistent instruction across all public schools in the state.
This legislation failed in House by a vote of 21 in the affirmative to 36 in the opposition.