Current through Bulletin 2024-06, March 15, 2024
(1) An
LEA shall require all newly hired or newly assigned Utah educators with
responsibility for any aspect of sex education instruction to attend
professional development outlining the sex education curriculum and the
criteria for sex education instruction in any courses offered in the public
education system.
(2) An LEA
governing board shall provide training consistent with Subsection
R277-474-5(1)
at least once during every three years of employment for Utah
educators.
(3) An LEA governing
board shall form a curriculum materials review committee at the school district
or charter school level as described in Subsection (4).
(4)
(a) An
LEA governing board shall annually appoint and review members of the LEA's
curriculum materials review committee on or before August 1.
(b) An LEA's curriculum materials review
committee shall include parents, health professionals, school health educators,
and administrators, with at least as many parents as school
employees.
(c) The members of an
LEA's committee shall:
(i) meet on a regular
basis, as determined by the membership;
(ii) select officers; and
(iii) comply with Title 52, Chapter 4, Open
and Public Meetings Act.
(5) An LEA's curriculum materials review
committee shall:
(a) be organized consistent
with Subsection R277-474-2(1);
(b) designate a chair and procedures;
and
(c) review and approve all
guest speakers and guest presenters and their respective materials relating to
sex education instruction in any course and maturation education before their
presentation.
(6) The
committee may not authorize the use of any sex education instructional program
or maturation education program not previously:
(a) approved by the Board;
(b) approved consistent with Section
R277-474-6; or
(c) approved under Subsections
53G-10-402(2)(f) and
(g).
(7) The district superintendent or charter
school administrator shall report educators who willfully violate the
provisions of this rule to the Utah Professional Practices Advisory Commission
(UPPAC) for investigation and possible discipline.
(8)
(a) A
student may not participate in sex education instruction, maturation education,
or other instructional programs without prior affirmative parent consent, as
evidenced by a completed parental notification form, on file.
(b) An LEA shall obtain parental consent from
a student's parent using the common parental notification form or a form that
satisfies all criteria of the law and Board rules and comply with timelines
approved by the Board.
(9) The parental notification form shall:
(a) explain a parent's right to review
proposed curriculum materials in a timely manner;
(b) request the parent's permission to
instruct the parent's student in identified course material related to sex
education or maturation education;
(c) allow the parent to exempt the parent's
student from attendance for a class period where identified course material
related to sex education instruction or maturation education is presented and
discussed;
(d) be specific enough
to give parents fair notice of topics to be covered;
(e) include a brief explanation of the topics
and materials to be presented and provide a time, place and contact person for
review of the identified curricular materials;
(f) be retained on file with affirmative
parental consent for each student before the student's participation in
discussion of issues protected under Section 53G-10-402; and
(g) be maintained at the student's school for
a reasonable period.
(10) An LEA shall develop a logging and
tracking system of parental and community complaints and comments resulting
from student participation in sex education instruction, to include the
disposition of the complaints, and provide that information to the
Superintendent upon request.
(11) A
student may refrain from participation in course material consistent with
Section 53G-10-205.
