- Oklahoma state law does not mandate the teaching of sexuality education, nor does it need to be comprehensive when it is offered. Schools are required, however, to provide instruction on HIV/AIDS prevention.
- The primary purpose of all sex ed curricula must be to inform students about abstinence.
- All sex ed curricula must include instruction on consent.
- Sex ed curricula are not required to include instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity, though all instruction must highlight that “engaging in homosexual activity, promiscuous sexual activity, intravenous drug use, or contact with contaminated blood products is now known to be primarily responsible for contact with the AIDS virus.”
- Parents or guardians can submit written notification if they do not want their children to participate in sexuality and HIV/AIDS courses. This is referred to as an “opt-out” policy.
- Oklahoma’s Academic Standards for Health Education provides a standard for the development of health curricula. Sex education is not mentioned.
Bills to Watch
- HB 1811 was introduced in 2023. It would prohibit books and instructional materials that fall under Title 21 of Oklahoma Statutes (child pornography and obscenity).
- HB 1810 was introduced in 2023. Similar to the bill above, it would prohibit sensitive materials in a school setting that fall under the obscenity statute.
- SB 872 was introduced in 2023. It would ban any materials beyond a biology book in a public school or public charter school that contain any visualizations, depictions, or descriptions of sex or nudity (explicit or implied). It would also create procedures for parents and guardians to survey and apply for materials to be removed from libraries, and require superintendent approval for new materials.
- SB 95 was introduced in 2023. It would require express written consent from a parent or guardian for a student to check out or receive any “sexually explicit” material.
- HB 2670 was introduced in 2023. It would establish parental rights in public schools, emphasizing parental involvement in areas such as sex education, topics related to sexuality and gender, clubs and extracurriculars, and more.
- HB 2546 was introduced in 2023. It would guarantee that classroom instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity would not occur in grades K-5 or in a manner that is not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students.
- SB 973 was introduced in 2023. It would require that school districts provide written notification to the parents or guardians of any class, program, test, survey, or questionnaire that deals with sexual behavior topics. Parents would have a right to inspect the curriculum and material and must notify the school in writing if they do not want their child to participate in the class, program, test, survey, or questionnaire. Students would be allowed to waive participation in a sex education class or program that discusses sexual behavior or attitudes without being academically penalized. The curriculum provided to students in grades K-6 would be prohibited from including information on sexual orientation or gender identity. For grades in which information on sexual orientation or gender identity is allowed, the teacher providing instruction would ensure equal time is spent on the two-gender perspective.
- SB 1017 was introduced in 2023. It would prevent public school districts, public charter schools, and public school libraries from including books in their inventory or for use in their curriculum that make the study of lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender issues or non-procreative sex their primary subject. No teacher in a public school district or public charter school would be able to discuss or administer a survey or questionnaire to students about gender or sexuality.
- HB 1780 was introduced in 2023. It would lead to a total ban on sex education instruction and programs, as well as surveys and questionnaires whose primary purpose is to elicit responses on sexual behavior or attitudes in public schools.
- HB 1812 was introduced in 2023. It would change opt-out policies for classes, programs, and tests designed for the purpose of discussing sexual behavior or attitudes—and surveys or questionnaires whose primary purpose is to elicit responses on sexual behavior or attitudes—to opt-in.
- HB 1781 was introduced in 2023. It would enforce a parents bill of rights with criminal penalties, allow for objections if a curriculum conflicts with parents’ beliefs about race, gender, and gender identity, change sex ed to opt in, etc.
- SB 131 was introduced in 2023. It would require parents to provide written consent for their child to receive sex education instruction.
- SB 829 was introduced in 2023. It would prohibit a teacher or school employee from providing a student with any contraceptive drug or device, or facilitating a student getting one, without the prior written authorization of the student’s parent or legal guardian.
- SB 866 was introduced in 2023. It would require advanced parental notification and written consent from a parent for a child to participate in sex education instruction or take a survey relating to sex.
- SB 932 was introduced in 2023. It would prohibit employees, volunteers, and contractors of a school district within the Oklahoma State System of Higher Education from addressing a student by a name other than the one listed on their birth certificate, or from using pronouns that contradict with the biological sex on their birth certificate, without written consent from the student’s parent or legal guardian.
- SB 30 was introduced in 2023. It would require “forced outing” of LGBTQAI students, prohibit calling transgender students by their preferred name and pronouns, and restrict the implementation of health behavior surveys in grades K-3 without parental consent.
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 Oklahoma profile.