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SSB 1028

A bill for an act incorporating provisions related to pregnancy and fetal development into the human growth and development and health curricula provided by school districts, accredited nonpublic schools, charter schools, and innovation zone schools to students enrolled in grades one through twelve.

2025-2026 Regular Session

Mandates K–12 prenatal development content (ultrasound visuals and animations) starting at fertilization, with state rules ensuring accuracy and research-based guidance.

Committee report approving bill, renumbered as [].
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Bill Summary · SSB 1028

Summary of SSB 1028

Status: Committee report approving bill, renumbered as []
Introduced: January 21, 2025
Subject: Charter Schools, curricula, Education, health, pregnancy, prenatal care, and related instructional content

Purpose and intent

SSB 1028 aims to incorporate pregnancy and fetal development content into the human growth and development and health curricula for students in grades 1–12 across school districts, accredited nonpublic schools, charter schools, and innovation zone schools. The bill directs the state to ensure that instructional material reflects prenatal development and the humanity of the unborn child, beginning at fertilization, with emphasis on developmental milestones throughout pregnancy. It also seeks to clarify how such content should be governed and evaluated for accuracy.

Key provisions

  • Educational content

    • Requires high-definition ultrasound visuals showing the brain, heart, and other vital organs in early fetal development.
    • Requires a high-quality computer-generated rendering or animation depicting prenatal development starting at fertilization, highlighting significant markers in cell growth and organ development across pregnancy.
    • These materials are to be integrated into human growth and development and health curricula for grades 1–12.

  • Rulemaking and administration

    • The state board of education is charged with adopting rules to administer and interpret these provisions.
    • The rules will guide how schools implement the new content and how districts report or verify compliance.

  • Definition of “research-based”

    • The bill modifies the term “research-based” for purposes of human growth and development instruction and the state’s educational program.
    • New definition: complete, unbiased information that is verified or supported by the weight of research conducted in compliance with accepted scientific methods.
    • Information must be recognized as medically accurate and objective by leading professional organizations and agencies with relevant expertise, and, where appropriate, published in peer-reviewed journals.

  • Judicial and administrative review (rulemaking standards)

    • If interpretive rulemaking authority is clearly vested in an agency by statute, judicial review follows the standard for irrational, illogical, or unjustifiable interpretations of law.
    • If interpretive rulemaking authority is not clearly vested, the standard is whether the rules constitute an erroneous interpretation of law.

Who is affected

  • Students: All students in grades 1–12 enrolled in participating districts and schools.
  • Educational institutions: School districts, accredited nonpublic schools, charter schools, and innovation zone schools.
  • Educators and administrators: Those responsible for implementing curricula and ensuring compliance with new rulemaking requirements.
  • State policymakers and the State Board of Education: Responsible for adopting interpretive/administering rules under the bill.

Implementation timeline and actions

  • January 21, 2025: Introduced and referred to Education.
  • January 23, 2025: Subcommittee recommends passage; subcommittee meeting held.
  • January 30, 2025: Committee report approved the bill, renumbered as .
  • Ongoing: State Board of Education to adopt rules implementing and interpreting the provisions upon passage.

Potential impact and considerations

  • Educational content alignment: Schools would need to integrate mandated prenatal development materials into existing health and development curricula.
  • Standards and accuracy: The revised “research-based” definition aims to ensure that biology and pregnancy-related information reflects consensus in peer-reviewed science and professional organizations.
  • Administrative burden: Districts and schools may face scheduling, teacher training, and material acquisition requirements to meet new rulemaking standards.
  • Legal/regulatory framework: The bill links instructional content to a defined rulemaking process and judicial review standards, clarifying how disputes or challenges to guidance would be resolved.

For stakeholders, the bill signals a substantial emphasis on medically accurate, development-focused prenatal content in early and comprehensive health education, alongside formalized state guidance through regulatory rules.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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