NY State Senate Bill 2025-S6901

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Education Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

Please enter your contact information

First Name

Last Name

Email Address

A valid email address is required.

Home address is used to determine the senate district in which you reside. Your support or opposition to this bill is then shared immediately with the senator who represents you.

Optional services from the NY State Senate:

Create an account. An account allows you to officially support or oppose key legislation, sign petitions with a single click, and follow issues, committees, and bills that matter to you. When you create an account, you agree to this platform's terms of participation.

Include a custom message for your Senator? (Optional)

Enter a message to your senator. Many New Yorkers use this to share the reasoning behind their support or opposition to the bill. Others might share a personal anecdote about how the bill would affect them or people they care about.

Actions

View Actions

	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Mar 26, 2025	referred to education

co-Sponsors

View additional co-sponsors

2025-S6901 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A7496
Current Committee:: Senate Education
Law Section:: Education Law
Laws Affected:: Add §804-e, Ed L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2017-2018: A10517
2019-2020: A6512
2021-2022: A6616
2023-2024: A4604

2025-S6901 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Establishes the healthy and safe students act; requires comprehensive sexuality instruction for students in grades K-12 which includes a model curricula for comprehensive sexuality education and at a minimum conforms to the content and scope of national sexuality education standards.

2025-S6901 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S6901

SPONSOR: SALAZAR
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the education law, in relation to establishing the heal-
thy and safe students act

 
PURPOSE:

The purpose of this legislation is to help students be healthy and safe
by providing students with comprehensive sexuality education that is age
appropriate, medically accurate, and inclusive of all students.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1- Provides that the act may be known and cited as the "healthy
and safe students act".

Section 2- Amends the education law by adding a new section 804-e,
providing, in eight paragraphs as follows:

Paragraph one requires each public and charter school to provide
students in grades kindergarten through twelve with comprehensive sexu-
ality education.

Paragraph two requires the commissioner in consultation with the commis-
sioner of health to develop a sexuality education program.

Paragraph three directs the commissioner to consult a broad range of
experts in the development of the program.

Paragraph four directs the commissioner to prescribe in regulations the
contents and topics to be included in sexuality education.

Paragraph five requires the commissioner to issue guidance to school
districts and publish model curricula on the State Education Department
website. Instruction shall occur no later than the school year following
the effective date.

Paragraph six instructs boards of education that elect not to adopt the
model curricula to establish diverse advisory groups to make recommenda-
tions regarding the curriculum, content, of sexuality education for the
school district that conforms in content and scope to the comprehensive
sexuality education program established by the commissioner.

Paragraph seven requires school districts to establish a process for
parents to opt their child out of select lessons regarding HIV/AIDS
prevention, in accordance with current regulations.

Paragraph eight defines the term "comprehensive sexuality education".

Section 3 - Effective Date

 
EXISTING LAW:

This is a new section of law.

 
JUSTIFICATION:
New York does not currently require sex education to be taught in
schools beyond certain requirements related to HIV/AIDS. Of the public
schools that do provide sex education, the curriculum is often inaccu-
rate, incomplete, or biased. It often fails to prepare students to make
healthy, informed, and consensual decisions about relationships. LGBTQ
relationships are often stigmatized or ignored entirely. Even basic
information about anatomy is inaccurate, and materials often reinforce
negative gender stereotypes.

Comprehensive sexuality education covers issues like healthy relation-
ships, body image, and self-esteem. In kindergarten, that looks like
basic lessons about friendship and communication, providing students
with the building blocks they need to tackle issues like consent and
sexual health years later in middle and high school. At older ages those
lessons include health matters like preventing unintended pregnancy and
sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

Comprehensive sexuality education results in improved educational
outcomes for students. Studies have also found that students who receive
comprehensive sexuality education delay the initiation and reduce the
frequency of sexual intercourse, have fewer sexual partners, and prac-
tice safe sex. Currently 3 in 10 women in New York become pregnant at
least once before their 20th birthdays, and teenagers represent about
50% of the new STI cases in New York.

Comprehensive sexuality education is about more than reducing the rates
of STIs and unintended pregnancy. Educating students about dating
violence prevention, consent, and healthy relationships will reduce
interpersonal violence, sexual harassment, and toxic relationships. The
MeToo movement is part of a reckoning about the pervasiveness of sexual
harassment and violence in our culture. Young people are, unfortunately,
not immune. Nationally, more than two thirds of teenagers who are or
have been in a relationship report experiencing some form of sexual,
physical, or emotional abuse. In New York City, about 12 percent of
teenagers reported experiencing physical dating violence. Without
comprehensive sexuality education, sexual harassment and toxic relation-
ships will continue to spread.

Comprehensive sexuality education will also make schools safer places
for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning youth.
Gay, lesbian, and bisexual students are almost twice as likely as heter-
osexual students to report not going to school because they felt unsafe
at, or on their way to or from, school. For transgender and gender non-
confirming youth, school can be even more difficult:  in New York, 74%
of transgender students (or those perceived as transgender) experience
some form of mistreatment: 50% were verbally harassed, 23% report being
physically assaulted, and 12% experienced sexual violence between
kindergarten and 12th grade. School victimization has been linked with
decreased academic achievement, increased suicide ideation, increased
rates of absenteeism, and negative impacts on their emotional health.
Comprehensive sexuality education that dispels stigma around sexuality
and gender combats discrimination, bullying, and harassment and promotes
respect for all youth.

Across party lines, parents overwhelmingly support comprehensive sexual-
ity education in schools. According to a national poll of parents, 93.5%
feel it is important that sex education is taught in middle school, and
96% feel it is important that sex education is taught in high school.
All young people deserve the knowledge, skills, and resources to make
healthy and informed decisions about their bodies and relationships.
Comprehensive sexuality education will empower and educate students to
protect their health and build their futures - without shame or judg-
ment. It is critical that New York students receive this education.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

SENATE

2021-2022 S2584A (Brouk) Referred to Education.

2019-2020 S4844 (Metzger) Referred to Education.

ASSEMBLY

2023-2024 A46404 (Gonzalez-Rojas) Referred to Education.

2021-2022 A6616 (Nolan) Referred to Education.

2019-2020 A6512 (Nolan) Referred to Education.

2018 A10517(Nolan) Referred to Education.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

To be determined.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
July 1st next succeeding the date of enactment.

2025-S6901 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   6901
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                              March 26, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sens. SALAZAR, BRISPORT, BROUK, CLEARE, GIANARIS, GONZA-
   LEZ, GOUNARDES, HOYLMAN-SIGAL,  JACKSON,  KRUEGER,  LIU,  MAY,  MYRIE,
   RAMOS,  RIVERA,  SERRANO  --  read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Education
 
 AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to establishing the heal-
   thy and safe students act
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Short  title. This act shall be known and may be cited as
 the "healthy and safe students act".
   § 2. The education law is amended by adding a  new  section  804-e  to
 read as follows:
   §  804-E. HEALTHY AND SAFE STUDENTS. 1. EACH PUBLIC AND CHARTER SCHOOL
 SHALL ENSURE ALL PUPILS RECEIVE, AS AN INTEGRAL  PART  OF  EDUCATION  IN
 GRADES KINDERGARTEN THROUGH TWELVE, COMPREHENSIVE SEXUALITY EDUCATION.
   2.  THE COMMISSIONER, IN CONSULTATION WITH THE COMMISSIONER OF HEALTH,
 SHALL DEVELOP AND ESTABLISH A COMPREHENSIVE SEXUALITY EDUCATION PROGRAM.
 SUCH PROGRAM OF INSTRUCTION  SHALL  INCLUDE:  (I)  MODEL  CURRICULA  FOR
 COMPREHENSIVE  SEXUALITY EDUCATION IN GRADES KINDERGARTEN THROUGH TWELVE
 INCLUDING EXEMPLAR LESSON PLANS, INSTRUCTIONAL TOOLS AND MATERIALS,  AND
 BEST  PRACTICE INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES THAT ARE SUITABLE TO STUDENT AGE,
 BASED ON COGNITIVE, EMOTIONAL, AND BEHAVIORAL CAPACITY AND AT A  MINIMUM
 CONFORMS TO THE CONTENT AND SCOPE OF NATIONAL SEXUALITY EDUCATION STAND-
 ARDS; (II) RESOURCES TO SUPPORT IMPLEMENTATION OF THE INSTRUCTION IN THE
 SCHOOLS;  AND (III) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY OF ALL PROGRAM MATERIALS RELATED
 TO COMPREHENSIVE SEXUALITY EDUCATION ON THE DEPARTMENT'S WEBSITE.
   3. IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF SUCH PROGRAM, THE  COMMISSIONERS  SHALL  SEEK
 THE  RECOMMENDATIONS OF A BROAD RANGE OF EXPERTS SUCH AS TEACHERS CERTI-
 FIED IN HEALTH, BIOLOGY, FAMILY AND CONSUMER  SCIENCE,  EARLY  CHILDHOOD
 EDUCATION,  AND CHILDHOOD EDUCATION, CERTIFIED AND LICENSED SOCIAL WORK-
 ERS, SCHOOL NURSES, SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS, SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS,  PARENT
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD11299-02-5

 S. 6901                             2
 
 TEACHER  ASSOCIATION MEMBERS, OTHERS WITH EDUCATIONAL EXPERTISE IN INTI-
 MATE PARTNER VIOLENCE, SEXUAL ASSAULT, REPRODUCTIVE  AND  SEXUAL  HEALTH
 CARE,  AND  SERVING  LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENDER AND QUESTIONING
 YOUTH.  SUCH  PROGRAM  OF  COMPREHENSIVE  SEXUALITY INSTRUCTION SHALL BE
 REVIEWED PERIODICALLY BY  THE  COMMISSIONER  IN  CONSULTATION  WITH  THE
 COMMISSIONER  OF HEALTH, AT INTERVALS SPECIFIED BY THE COMMISSIONER, AND
 UPDATED AS NECESSARY.
   4. THE COMMISSIONER SHALL PRESCRIBE IN REGULATIONS SUCH  CONTENTS  AND
 TOPICS  TO  BE  INCLUDED  IN  A  CURRICULUM  OF  COMPREHENSIVE SEXUALITY
 INSTRUCTION; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, THAT THE CURRICULA NEED NOT  BE  UNIFORM
 THROUGHOUT  THE  STATE;  AND  PROVIDED  FURTHER,  HOWEVER,  THAT  SCHOOL
 DISTRICTS SHALL UTILIZE EITHER A CURRICULUM FOR COMPREHENSIVE  SEXUALITY
 EDUCATION  INSTRUCTION PRESCRIBED BY THE COMMISSIONER OR A CURRICULUM IN
 ACCORDANCE WITH THE CRITERIA ESTABLISHED BY THE COMMISSIONER.
   5. UPON APPROVAL AND ADOPTION BY THE BOARD OF REGENTS, THE  DEPARTMENT
 SHALL  ISSUE  GUIDANCE  TO  THE  SCHOOL  DISTRICTS  ABOUT THE PROGRAM ON
 COMPREHENSIVE SEXUALITY INSTRUCTION AND PUBLISH  ON  ITS  WEBSITE  MODEL
 CURRICULA  AND INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES REQUIRED BY THIS SECTION.  SCHOOL
 DISTRICTS SHALL PROVIDE COMPREHENSIVE SEXUALITY EDUCATION INSTRUCTION NO
 LATER THAN THE SCHOOL YEAR FOLLOWING THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS SECTION.
 NO LATER THAN THE SECOND YEAR AFTER THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF  THIS  SECTION
 AND  AS NECESSARY THEREAFTER, THE COMMISSIONER SHALL CONDUCT A REVIEW OF
 DISTRICT IMPLEMENTATION TO MONITOR COMPLIANCE.
   6. THE BOARDS OF EDUCATION  OR  TRUSTEES  OF  THE  CITIES  AND  SCHOOL
 DISTRICTS  OF  THE  STATE  THAT CHOOSE NOT TO ADOPT THE MODEL CURRICULUM
 APPROVED BY THE BOARD OF REGENTS SHALL EACH ESTABLISH AN ADVISORY  COUN-
 CIL  WHICH SHALL MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE BOARD OF EDUCATION OR TRUS-
 TEES CONCERNING THE CURRICULUM, CONTENT, AND EVALUATION OF  THE  COMPRE-
 HENSIVE  SEXUALITY  EDUCATION  REQUIRED  PURSUANT TO THIS SECTION.   THE
 ADVISORY COUNCIL SHALL INCLUDE, BUT NEED NOT BE LIMITED TO,  MEMBERS  OF
 THE  SCHOOL  BOARD OR TRUSTEES, SCHOOL AUTHORITIES, A TEACHER DESIGNATED
 BY A TEACHER'S COLLECTIVE BARGAINING ORGANIZATION, OTHER STAFF, PARENTS,
 STUDENTS, AND OTHER REPRESENTATIVES  OF  THE  COMMUNITY.  THE  BOARD  OF
 EDUCATION  OR  TRUSTEES OF A SCHOOL DISTRICT SHALL DETERMINE THE CURRIC-
 ULUM AND CONTENT OF THE PROGRAM WITHIN THE SCHOOL DISTRICT AND SHALL  BE
 RESPONSIBLE  FOR  THE  EVALUATION OF THE PROGRAM WITHIN THE DISTRICT AND
 ENSURING THE PROGRAM CONFORMS IN CONTENT AND SCOPE TO THE  COMPREHENSIVE
 SEXUALITY EDUCATION PROGRAM ESTABLISHED BY THE COMMISSIONER.
   7.  THE  BOARD  OF  EDUCATION  AND  TRUSTEES  OF THE CITIES AND SCHOOL
 DISTRICTS OF THE STATE SHALL ESTABLISH A PROCESS BY WHICH  A  PARENT  OR
 GUARDIAN  OF  A  STUDENT MAY ELECT FOR THE STUDENT NOT TO PARTICIPATE IN
 SELECT LESSONS REGARDING HIV/AIDS PREVENTION;  PROVIDED,  HOWEVER,  THAT
 SUCH PROCESS SHALL REQUIRE WRITTEN NOTICE SIGNED BY THE STUDENT'S PARENT
 OR GUARDIAN FOR EACH SCHOOL YEAR.
   8.  AS USED IN THIS ARTICLE, "COMPREHENSIVE SEXUALITY EDUCATION" MEANS
 A MEDICALLY ACCURATE, AGE-APPROPRIATE SEQUENTIAL LEARNING PROGRAM  WHICH
 ADDRESSES  PHYSICAL,  MENTAL,  EMOTIONAL  AND SOCIAL DIMENSIONS OF HUMAN
 SEXUALITY, IS TRAUMA-RESPONSIVE AND CULTURALLY APPROPRIATE, INCORPORATES
 SKILLS-BASED INSTRUCTION; PROVIDES STUDENTS WITH  KNOWLEDGE  AND  SKILLS
 THEY  NEED  TO  FORM  RELATIONSHIPS THAT ARE BASED ON MUTUAL RESPECT AND
 AFFECTION AND THAT ARE FREE FROM VIOLENCE, COERCION,  AND  INTIMIDATION;
 AND ARE RESPECTFUL AND INCLUSIVE OF ALL STUDENTS REGARDLESS OF ACTUAL OR
 PERCEIVED  RACE, COLOR, WEIGHT, NATIONAL ORIGIN, ETHNIC GROUP, RELIGION,
 RELIGIOUS PRACTICE, DISABILITY, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, OR GENDER AS DEFINED
 IN SECTION ELEVEN OF THIS CHAPTER.   COMPREHENSIVE  SEXUALITY  EDUCATION
 SHALL  INCLUDE,  BUT  IS NOT LIMITED TO, AGE-APPROPRIATE INSTRUCTION ON:
 S. 6901                             3
 
 (I) HUMAN ANATOMY, REPRODUCTION, AND SEXUAL DEVELOPMENT;  (II)  CONSENT,
 BODILY  AUTONOMY,  BOUNDARY-SETTING,  BULLYING, AND PEER PRESSURE; (III)
 HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS, INCLUDING RELATIONSHIPS INVOLVING DIVERSE  SEXUAL
 ORIENTATIONS  AND  GENDER  IDENTITIES AND PREVENTION OF INTIMATE PARTNER
 VIOLENCE, SEXUAL  VIOLENCE  AND  SEXUAL  HARASSMENT;  (IV)  METHODS  FOR
 PREVENTING  PREGNANCY  AND  SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED INFECTIONS; (V) GENDER,
 GENDER EXPRESSION, GENDER IDENTITY, DIVERSITY  OF  SEX  CHARACTERISTICS,
 AND  THE  HARMS  OF  GENDER  STEREOTYPES;  (VI) THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN
 SUBSTANCE USE AND SEXUAL BEHAVIOR AND HEALTH; AND (VII) THE USE OF TECH-
 NOLOGY AND SOCIAL MEDIA IN INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS.
   § 3. This act shall take effect on the first of July  next  succeeding
 the date on which it shall have become a law.

Comments

Open Legislation is a forum for New York State legislation. All comments are subject to review and community moderation is encouraged.

Comments deemed off-topic, commercial, campaign-related, self-promotional; or that contain profanity, hate or toxic speech; or that link to sites outside of the nysenate.gov domain are not permitted, and will not be published. Attempts to intimidate and silence contributors or deliberately deceive the public, including excessive or extraneous posting/posts, or coordinated activity, are prohibited and may result in the temporary or permanent banning of the user. Comment moderation is generally performed Monday through Friday. By contributing or voting you agree to the Terms of Participation and verify you are over 13.

Create an account. An account allows you to sign petitions with a single click, officially support or oppose key legislation, and follow issues, committees, and bills that matter to you. When you create an account, you agree to this platform's terms of participation.

Senate Bill S6901

Sponsored By

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Education Committee

co-Sponsors

2025-S6901 (ACTIVE) - Details

2025-S6901 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2025-S6901 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2025-S6901 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments

Senate Bill S6901

Share this bill

Sponsored By

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Education Committee

co-Sponsors

2025-S6901 (ACTIVE) - Details

2025-S6901 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2025-S6901 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2025-S6901 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments