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Bill would further legislate sexual education: Groups associated with abortion providers would be banned from campuses
By Bill Conrad, bconrad@starlocalnews.com
Texas school districts are already required to teach abstinence-based sex education, but that has not stopped a local legislator from filing a bill he says will prevent abortion providers from entering classrooms and providing information to students.
House Bill 1057, dubbed the Texas Parental Control Accountability Act and authored by Rep. Jeff Leach (R-Plano), would specifically ban any organization with affiliates that provide abortions from teaching sex education classes in public schools. It would also require parental permission if a third party was brought in to offer the instruction.
“There are situations across the state where abortion providers and their affiliates are assisting in the administration of sex education instruction,” Leach said. “We know for a fact that they are interacting with our kids in public schools and handing out instructional materials, and in many situations, they are actually doing the instruction.”
“This is about all abortion providers and their affiliates, it is not just about one organization,” Leach said.
Chapter 28 of the Texas Education Code requires abstinence-based sexual education, stating “[the district must] emphasize that abstinence from sexual activity, if used consistently and correctly, is the only method that is 100 percent effective in preventing pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, infection with human immunodeficiency virus or acquired immune deficiency syndrome, and the emotional trauma associated with adolescent sexual activity.”
Districts and third parties are also prohibited from handing out condoms and are not required to include information on contraception and condoms in their curriculum, the code states.
Leach said the education code applies to anyone – not just district employees – providing sex education to students, but that it is hard to monitor the information distributed by third parties. His bill, he said, would help better inform parents about what their children are learning in school.
“This common-sense legislation promotes parental control and accountability in the classroom,” he said.
Planned Parenthood’s national office did not return messages seeking comment, but its website states more than 1 million children and adults participate in their education programs each year.
“We deliver comprehensive and medically accurate information that empowers women, men, teens and families to make informed choices and lead healthy lives,” the website states. “Planned Parenthood is proud of its vital role in providing young people with honest sexuality and relationship information in classrooms and online to help reduce our nation’s alarmingly high rates of teen pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections.”
Neither of the two school districts Leach represents, Plano ISD and Allen ISD, use third-party providers, officials confirmed.
“There is current instruction on sexuality taught in the eighth grade and in high school,” said Lesley Range-Stanton, Plano ISD spokeswoman. “The eighth-grade instruction is delivered during our coordinated school health program and taught by a Plano ISD-certified teacher. The high school curriculum is delivered during the high school health education class, and students may take this course at any time during their [high school career]. This course is taught by a Plano ISD-certified health teacher.”
Tim Carroll, Allen ISD spokesman, said sex education is offered only to high school students and is part of their standard health curriculum.
In addition to Leach, Collin County Reps. Jodie Laubenberg (R-Parker) and Scott Turner (R-Frisco) are joint authors on the legislation. Reps. Scott Sanford (R-McKinney) and Van Taylor (R-Plano) are co-authors.
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