Guerrilla Sex Ed

For those seeking out better sex ed...

Arizona

  • Arizona law does not require schools to teach sex ed.
  • If sex education is offered, curricula are not required to include instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity, nor on consent.
  • Arizona Revised Statutes §§ 15-711, 15-716, and 15-102 state that if a school chooses to teach these topics, instruction must be age-appropriate, include instruction on the laws relating to sexual conduct with a minor (grades 7 through 12), and stress abstinence.
  • Since enacting HB 2035 in May 2021, schools may no longer provide sex education prior to grade 5.
  • If a school chooses to teach HIV education, such instruction must be medically accurate.
  • Schools that choose to provide sex education must have the lessons approved by the school’s local governing board.
  • All sex education materials and instruction that discuss sexual intercourse must emphasize that abstinence is the only method for avoiding pregnancy that is 100% effective.
  • Sex ed lessons must also stress that STDs have severe consequences and constitute a serious and widespread public health problem.
  • Lessons must include a discussion of the possible physical, emotional, and psychological consequences of preadolescent and adolescent sexual intercourse.
  • Lessons must promote honor and respect for monogamous heterosexual marriage.
  • Lessons must advise pupils of Arizona law pertaining to the financial responsibilities of parenting and legal liabilities related to sexual intercourse with a minor.
  • HB 2495 prohibits Arizona public schools from using or referring students to sexually explicit material unless the school acquires parental consent and the material is either “Classical Literature,” “Early American Literature,” or required for a course to obtain college credit. In the bill, sexually explicit material includes “masturbation, homosexuality, sexual intercourse or physical contact with a person’s clothed or unclothed genitals, pubic area, buttocks or if such person is female, breast.”
  • Since enacting HB 2035 in May 2021, parents are now required to provide written consent for their children to attend sex education classes. This is known as an opt-in policy.
  • Arizona’s Health Education Standards provide a foundation for curricula in the state for grades K-12.

Bills to Watch

  • HB 2786 was introduced in 2023. Such legislation would require schools to inform parents and make available any training materials for teachers related to racial, sexual, gender identity, political, and social issues.
  • Senate Concurrent Resolution 1025 was introduced in 2023, and updates the parental bill of rights. This includes a clause that prohibits any employee of the state from encouraging or coercing a minor from withholding information from the minor’s parent (also known as a forced outing clause).
  • SB 1700 was introduced in 2023. Such legislation would establish parents’ right to review and remove library material they object to.
  • SB 1415 was introduced in 2023. Such legislation would classify an infringement on parental rights as a class 6 felony.

Some Sex Ed Advocates Within the State

For more detailed information on how various districts in the state have been implementing these standards — and for recent legislation — you can read SIECUS’s Arizona profile.