HIV | Stock image
HIV | Stock image
Legislation for sex education in Illinois and the decriminalization of HIV transmission recently passed the Senate Executive Committee with bipartisan support.
Senate Bill 818 passed the legislation, requiring schools to teach sex education in their classrooms by July 2023.
"The Senate Executive Committee recently approved Senate Bill 818 along party lines. This bill completely changes how sex education is taught to K-12 students in Illinois and could be voted on by the Senate as soon as today.
"This proposal had over 1,500 opposition witness slips filed against it, including from the Illinois State Board of Education, Illinois Association of School Boards, Illinois Principals Association and the Illinois Coalition of Nonpublic Schools. If you OPPOSE these controversial standards, reach out to your legislator and tell them to vote NO on Senate Bill 818," Sen. Win Stoller wrote in a Facebook post.
Those who testified claimed that the most vulnerable children to sexual abuse are between the ages of seven and 13 with a median age of minors at nine years old. When children are educated at an early age at what is appropriate and what is not, they are more likely to report sexual abuse to adults.
Some lawmakers are opposing the bill due to the flat funding that education systems receive in combination with a teacher shortage. Arguments are being made that some schools would be unable to afford the requirement.
Senate Bill 818 and two amendments attached to the bill would mandate schools to include “comprehensive personal health and safety education and comprehensive sexual health education” in the curriculum for the subject.
The bill states that parents can opt their kids out of the sex education courses with no penalty by simply writing an objection.
The legislation would require age-appropriate education for students grades K-12 on the subject of consent among other additions to the sex-ed curriculum.
Representatives of the Illinois Association of School Boards and the Catholic Conference of Illinois testified against the bill.
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