- Sex ed is mandated in Hawaii as of 2015.
- Sex ed must include age-appropriate, medically accurate information and include lessons on abstinence, contraception, and methods of infection prevention.
- Students are encouraged to communicate with their parents and/or guardians about sexuality.
- Lessons must stress that abstinence is the surest way to prevent unintended pregnancies, STIs, and “consequent emotional distress.”
- Sex ed curricula are not required to include lessons on sexual orientation or gender identity.
- Sex ed curricula are not required to include lessons on consent, but they must help students develop relationships and communication skills to form healthy relationships that are based on mutual respect and affection and are free from violence, coercion and intimidation.
- Hawaii’s education policy 103-8 states that birth control devices may be discussed during human reproduction studies; however, the distribution of condoms and other prophylactic devices to students is prohibited in the classroom, on school grounds, and at school-related activities.
- Hawaii does not require parental permission for students to participate in sex ed, but parents may remove their children from the course. This is referred to as an opt-out policy.
- Hawaii’s Content and Performance Standards for health courses state that sexual health should be addressed, and inform schools which content areas must be covered. However, the standards do not give curricula guidelines or go into detail regarding what topics should be discussed.
- Seven approved curricula are listed online.
Bills to Watch
- HB 1393, introduced in 2023, would establish the right of parent to direct the upbringing and education of their child and would prohibit state agencies from infringing on these rights.
- A number of bills have been introduced that would bolster sexual abuse and sex trafficking prevention education in schools, aligning it with recommendations from Erin’s Law. These include HB 548, HB 550, and HB 308.
- SB 1428, introduced in 2023, would ban instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in grades in K-3, and would require parental notification prior to Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System-type surveys, in grades K-3.
- HB 288, introduced in 2023, would require public high schools to have a mandatory life skills curriculum in the student’s junior or senior year of school, which discusses the benefits and consequences of making decisions in financial matters and sexual relationships.
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 Hawaii profile.