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Sen. Scott Wilk (R-Santa Clarita) expressed frustration after his bill to increase transparency in schools’ sexual education curricula was held by the Senate Appropriations Committee.
“This was a straightforward bill that could have helped ease any possible tension between parents and school districts, creating a one-stop-shop for sex ed materials to be reviewed,” said Senator Wilk. “While sex ed is a necessary subject, it is also a personal one. The materials should be public and readily available so that parents can be easily kept in the loop. If we quash opportunities for dialogue, there will never be understanding.”
Senate Bill 996 (SB 996) would have required school districts to publish sexual education and HIV prevention materials on their website before being presented to students. The bill would have also required local educational authorities to hold a publicly noticed hearing informing parents and guardians of how they can examine those materials.
Under current law, sexual education curriculum materials are required to be provided for review upon request. However the process to obtain them is often difficult, and there is no timeline requirement to fulfill the request.
“In addition to giving parents their deserved seat at the table, this bill would have made it easier for teachers and administrators to do their jobs. If a parent saw their child’s curriculum online and had issues with it, they could opt them out. Simple. Parents should have absolute trust in their child’s educational experience, and this bill sought to bolster that trust. Sadly, parental rights don’t seem to matter under this progressive legislature,” concluded Wilk.