Washington’s Comprehensive Sexual Health Education helps all students learn about their bodies, relationships, and sexual health through age-appropriate, inclusive curriculum.
A Brief Overview
- Sexual education is a legal requirement in Washington State. Read on for information about what the state requires and resources for supporting a child to learn developmentally appropriate information related to health and sexuality.
- The state provides a Sexual Violence Prevention website page with information about work underway toward the prevention of child sexual abuse.
- Helping young people talk about sexual consent can support students to learn to make healthy choices that serve them for a lifetime. Rooted in Rights of Washington offers a step-by-step guide for talking about consent with youth with disabilities.
- May is Sex Ed for All Month. Sex Ed for All Month is an opportunity to raise awareness and call for real investment in sex education in schools and communities across the country.
Introduction
Parents or guardians are their child’s first and primary teachers about sexual health education. What parents and caregivers believe, say, and do can shape how children learn about their bodies and relationships. This article shares resources to help families and youth support healthy sexuality and understand what schools are required to teach.
Why should students learn about sexual health in school?
Everyone has the right to autonomy over their own body and needs the knowledge and tools to make informed, safe choices for themselves. Restricting knowledge or making choices for other people can lead to situations where that lack of knowledge increases their vulnerability. That vulnerability, especially for a young adult with a disability, can lead to unsafe choices both personally and through others’ predatory behavior. What are my rights? What is important to know about my own health and safety? How do I understand my own and others’ behaviors and feelings? Answers to these questions are important tools for growing young adults, regardless of their circumstances or diagnosed cognitive abilities.
Washington’s Sexual Health Education Laws
Washington state law requires schools to provide education about the life-threatening dangers of HIV/AIDS, how it spreads, and how to prevent it. Students must begin learning HIV/AIDS prevention education by grade 5 and review it annually, in accordance with the AIDS Omnibus Act (RCW 28A.230.070). Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) offers guidance, teaching materials, and support to help schools teach HIV/AIDS prevention and sexual health education in ways that are accurate, age-appropriate, and inclusive of all students.
In 2018, Washington legislature passed Erin’s Law (HB 1539), which aims to prevent child sexual abuse. The law names OSPI as the lead agency responsible for reviewing curricula and working with Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) to create child sexual abuse prevention programs in grades K-12. OSPI provides a Sexual Violence Prevention webpage that includes information about work underway.
Comprehensive Sexual Health Education (CSHE)
Washington schools are required to teach inclusive comprehensive sexual health education (CSHE). Educational materials must follow the Health Education K-12 Learning Standards, which provide a framework for comprehensive instruction, and the provisions of Washington State Law RCW 28A.300.475. Families can review these materials to understand better what their child is learning.
For students in grades 4-12, CSHE is defined in the law as “recurring instruction in human development and reproduction that is medically accurate, age-appropriate and inclusive of all students…using language and strategies that recognize all protected classes.” Disability is a protected class, which means students with disabilities must be included in sexual health education.
Instruction for students in grades Kindergarten-3 is defined in the law as Social Emotional Learning (SEL). Lessons for these grades do not include human development or reproduction. OSPI provides a Social Emotional Learning webpage with helpful tools for families, like fact sheets and infographics.
Consent and Decision Making
CSHE teaches about consent and helps students develop the communication and decision-making skills they need to make healthy choices. Consent is defined as granting permission for something to happen or agreement to do something. Consent is important to understand in the context of sexual activity. Rooted in Rights of Washington provides written information and a video within its step-by-step guide for talking about consent with youth with disabilities.
Dating and sexual intimacy are subjects that can be addressed through Supported Decision Making, a legal option in Washington State. Washington law (Chapter 11.130 in the Revised Code of Washington) includes Supported Decision Making (SDM) as an option under the Uniform Guardianship, Conservatorship, and Other Protective Arrangements Act. The format for an SDM agreement is up to the individual and their supporters. A sample form is available for download from WashingtonLawHelp.org.
Sex Ed for All Month
May is Sex Ed for All Month, an opportunity to raise awareness and call for real investment in sex education in schools and communities across the country. Sex Ed for All Month is coordinated by the Sex Education Collaborative, in collaboration with a national coalition of sexual and reproductive health, rights, and justice organizations committed to ensuring equitable and accessible sex education for all young people nationwide.
Learn More
OSPI’s Comprehensive Sexual Health Education Implementation webpage offers educational materials and tools that help teach about relationships, including social skills, friendships, and personal responsibility for one’s body.
The Healthy Teen Network provides tips, tools, and information to help youth learn about relationships, understand their bodies, and make healthy choices.
The Center for Parent Information and Resources provides a library of resources, including several related to the role of parents: Sexuality Education for Students with Disabilities.