The Education Policy Committee laid over Senate File 1048 for possible inclusion in the omnibus bill after testimony urging clearer statutory language for sexually transmitted infection (STI) education.

Sponsor testimony said the bill would replace the existing phrase "technically accurate" with "medically accurate," expand required instruction beyond abstinence tied to marriage and ensure programming is inclusive of students protected under the Minnesota Human Rights Act. Dr. Mike Bartlett Chase, an education-policy researcher and founder of Honest Ed Minnesota, said the change would give districts clearer, implementable guidance.

Steven Chapin, an eighth- and tenth-grade health teacher and the 2023 Minnesota Health Teacher of the Year, told the committee that the current statute is "unclear and hard to discern what implementation should look like in school districts and classrooms around the state." He said fear-based abstinence-only instruction can be harmful and that medically accurate instruction supports prevention and student safety.

Students and parents also testified. Rasana Mamdani, a junior at Saint Paul Central High School and a youth member of the Health Education Standards Development Committee, described classroom lessons she said were not medically accurate and said clearer statutory language would ensure students receive instruction on barrier methods, testing and vaccines. Parent Elizabeth Schultz Newton cited a University of Minnesota study indicating most Minnesota parents favor medically accurate instruction.

The committee laid the bill over for possible omnibus inclusion; the transcript shows the bill will be considered in that process and that the state health standards review is underway.

Next steps: SF 1048 may be taken up as part of the omnibus education bill; the committee also noted the ongoing statewide health standards revision and public comment process.