Legislators in Washington State are considering a new bill that would begin teaching students about sex education as early as Kindergarten.
"Senate Bill 5395 would require all public school districts to provide comprehensive sexual health education that is evidence-informed, medically and scientifically accurate, age-appropriate and inclusive for all students," KREM-TV reported.
If passed, those who teach grades six through 12 would have until September 2020 to incorporate the changes into their curriculum. Teachers with students in kindergarten through 5th grade would have until September 2021.
Schools would have the ability to decide what's included in their curriculum. The bill would simply mandate that some kind of curriculum be established.
Parents, however, would have the ability to opt their child out of the lesson, should they choose to do so. In order to opt-out, parents would have to provide a letter to the school's principal or the school board, KATU-TV reported.
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According to Democratic Senator Manka Dhingra, this bill would be beneficial for students across the board.
"It really helps teach our children how to have those tough conversations in relationships, how to have conversations about consent and how to understand our bodies," Dhingra said. "Our bodies are not taboo."
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal said what students are taught would be "age-appropriate."
“In first grade, it’s appropriate to teach how to say no when someone is touching you, how to get help or tell an adult,” Reykdal said.
High schoolers would be taught about more in-depth sex education, like STD and pregnancy prevention.
