- New Hampshire state law mandates the teaching of sexuality education.
- While sex ed curricula are not required to be comprehensive, the Health Education Curriculum Guidelines state that comprehensive school health education furthers the goal of education and helps lead to a productive society.
- The aforementioned Guidelines emphasize abstinence as the most effective prevention method.
- While sex ed curricula are not required to include instruction on consent, they must include instruction on dating violence and date rape.
- Sex ed curricula are not required to include instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity.
- Parents or guardians may remove their children from sex education instruction based on religious objections. This is referred to as an “opt-out” policy.
Bills to Watch
- HB 272 was introduced in 2023. It would establish a parental bill of rights related to education, such as the right to inspect the curriculum, the right to opt out of sex ed, the right to know if a child is going by a name other than the one on their birth certificate or is being affirmed in their gender identity (forced outing clause), etc.
- HB 368 was introduced in 2023. It would protect access to gender affirming care for children.
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 New Hampshire profile.