AN ACT to clarify reproductive health and safety education requirements in public school units.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.  G.S. 115C‑81.30 reads as rewritten:

§ 115C‑81.30.  Reproductive health and safety education provided by local school administrative units.

(a)        Each local school administrative unit shall provide a reproductive health and safety education program commencing in the seventh grade. grade and not before. Materials used in this instruction shall be age‑appropriate for use with students. Law enforcement agencies, criminal justice agencies, and nongovernmental organizations with experience in sex‑trafficking prevention and awareness may provide materials and information. Information conveyed during the instruction shall be objective and based upon scientific research that is peer reviewed and accepted by professionals and credentialed experts in any of the following fields: sexual health education, adolescent psychology, behavioral counseling, medicine, human anatomy, biology, ethics, or health education. Reproductive health and safety instruction provided by the local school administrative units shall do the following:

….

SECTION 2.  G.S. 115C‑81.30(c) reads as rewritten:

(c)      Parental Review and Consent. – Each school year, before students may participate in any portion of (i) a program that pertains to or is intended to impart information or promote discussion or understanding in regard to the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS, or to the avoidance of out‑of‑wedlock pregnancy or (ii) a reproductive health and safety education program, whether developed by the State or by the local board of education, the parents and legal guardians of those students shall be given an opportunity to review the objectives and materials as provided in G.S. 115C‑81.25(d). Local boards of education shall adopt policies to provide opportunities either for require parents and legal guardians to consent or for parents and legal guardians to withhold their consent to the students' participation in any or all of these programs.programs before the student is allowed to participate in the programs.

SECTION 3.  G.S. 115C‑218.85(a) is amended by adding a new subdivision to read:

(6)      The school shall not provide instruction on any reproductive health and safety education covered under G.S. 115C‑81.30 prior to the start of the seventh grade.

SECTION 4.  G.S. 115C‑238.66(1) is amended by adding a new sub‑subdivision to read:

f.        The board of directors shall ensure that no material covering reproductive health and safety education described under G.S. 115C‑81.30 commences prior to the start of the seventh grade.

SECTION 5.  G.S. 116‑239.8(b)(2) is amended by adding a new sub‑subdivision to read:

e.        The chancellor shall ensure that no material covering reproductive health and safety education described under G.S. 115C‑81.30 commences prior to the start of the seventh grade.

SECTION 6.  This act is effective when it becomes law.