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S 340

Unlawful to somke in a car with a minor in the vehicle

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Darrell Jackson and 2 co-sponsors

The bill standardizes and expands comprehensive, medically accurate sexual health education in public schools, requires parental notification and withdrawal rights, and imposes bie

Referred to Committee on Transportation
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Bill Summary · S 340

Summary — S.340 (An Act relative to healthy youth)

Status: Introduced (Jan 2025); referred to committee(s).
Primary subject: School sexual health education — curriculum standards, parental notice/withdrawal, and district reporting.

Purpose

S.340 updates Massachusetts law to (1) standardize and expand requirements for comprehensive sexual health education in public schools and (2) require school districts and charter schools to report on sexual health instruction. The bill aims to ensure instruction is medically accurate, age‑appropriate, inclusive, and transparent to parents/guardians.

Key provisions

1. Biennial reporting (new Section 1E½, Chapter 69)

  • Each city, town, regional school district, vocational school district and charter school must file a biennial report to the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) in even‑numbered years.
  • Reports must, by grade level, include: (i) name & description of sexual health curriculum offered; (ii) approximate hours of instruction; (iii) number of students enrolled; and (iv) number of students withdrawn under Section 32A (parental withdrawal).
  • DESE must publish the data on the department website and transmit it to the Department of Public Health within 30 days of the filing deadline established by the board.

2. Parental notification, inspection, and withdrawal (replaces Section 32A, Chapter 71)

  • Districts/charter schools offering curricula that “primarily involve sexual education” must adopt a written policy notifying parents/guardians of: the curriculum offered, the right to withdraw a student from all or part of instruction, and the procedure to withdraw.
  • Parents/guardians may request to inspect instructional materials prior to the course start.
  • Notifications should be provided in English and other commonly spoken languages in the district and must be distributed annually no later than the first day of the school year (or via the same method as student handbooks/other start‑of‑year notices).
  • Districts must send a copy of the policy (and curriculum name, if applicable) to DESE upon adoption or amendment.
  • Students withdrawn from instruction receive an alternative educational activity and may not be penalized or disciplined for withdrawal.

3. Curriculum content and standards (new Section 32B)

  • Requires medically accurate, age‑appropriate, comprehensive sexual health education consistent with the Massachusetts Comprehensive Health and Physical Education Curriculum Framework.
  • Defines key terms (e.g., “age‑appropriate,” “medically accurate”) and ties usage of terms like “consent,” “gender expression,” “gender identity,” and “sexual orientation” to state commission guidance.
  • Curriculum must be inclusive (regardless of gender, race, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity) and — at minimum — cover topics such as human development and anatomy; benefits of abstinence; STI/HIV prevention; contraception and barrier methods; communication and relationship skills (including affirmative consent); and skills to recognize and prevent dating violence. (Bill text continues beyond provided excerpt.)

Who is affected

  • Public school districts, regional and vocational districts, and charter schools (curriculum providers and reporting entities).
  • Students in grades receiving sexual health instruction.
  • Parents and guardians (expanded notice, inspection, and withdrawal rights).
  • DESE and Department of Public Health (data collection, publication, and interagency reporting).

Procedural/timing notes

  • Biennial reports due each even‑numbered year on a date/format set by DESE. DESE must post and transmit data within 30 days after the filing date.
  • Parental policy must be distributed annually by the first day of school.
  • The bill replaces existing Section 32A and adds Section 32B to Chapter 71.

Legislative status and actions (selected)

  • Filed: Jan 16, 2025 / Introduced in Senate: Jan 30, 2025.
  • Referred to Committees: (Judiciary, Education, Codes references appear in record).
  • Hearing scheduled (per record): Sep 16, 2025; later reported favorably and referred to Senate Ways & Means (Nov 13, 2025).

Note: The supplied metadata includes some inconsistent sponsor/committee entries; this summary is based on the bill text as provided (titled “An Act relative to healthy youth”).

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

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