The Senate Finance Committee heard the protests of critics regarding a new bill introduced in Wasilla, Alaska. The bill would allow school districts to temporarily stop sex education standardized testing.
The critics also complained about Sen. Mike Dunleavy adding language to the controversial bill introduced by Rep. Wes Keller that would require teachers to obtain licenses for teaching sex education, KTOO reports. The bill would also require sex ed teachers to only use sex education teaching materials that have been approved by the school board.
We can start with this: https://t.co/AHWYynmuaP
— mai (@KalliyahDejesus) April 15, 2016
Another language added to the sex education bill would allow unlicensed teachers to teach sex education as long as they are supervised by a licensed sex ed teacher and approved by the school board. Parents would also be allowed to review the credentials of their children's sex education teachers.
These proposed sex education provisions have drawn the ire of many critics in Wasilla. "The nearly 40 people who testified against the bill focused on Dunleavy's additions, saying they ignored public opposition to his bill," KTOO reports. The critics also noted that the bill would be restricting easier access to sex education classes which might soon have a negative effect on the rates of teen pregnancy cases and sexually transmitted diseases.
"Sexuality education lays the foundations for students by learning the correct names for parts of the body, understanding principles of human reproduction, exploring family and interpersonal relationships, learning about safety, and developing confidence," NSW Department of Education and Communities explains. The Committee has a lot of sides to consider as it studies the pros and cons of this new sex education bill.
