Senate Education Committee sends parental-consent bill on "human sexuality" instruction for amendment

At a meeting of the Senate Education Committee, members voted to send House Bill 239, a parental‑consent measure introduced by Representative Barbara Ehardt of District 33, to the fourteenth order for possible amendment after discussing the bill’s definition of “human sexuality,” notice and opt‑in procedures, and an enforcement mechanism for parents.

The bill would require schools to provide at least two weeks' written notice to parents before any classroom instruction that addresses topics the bill defines as “human sexuality.” Representative Barbara Ehardt said the proposal is “about consent, not content,” and that it flips the current default from automatic inclusion toward an opt‑in model so parents must give permission before their child is exposed to covered material.

The legislation sets out a definition for the covered material that, according to the bill text shown to the committee, includes references to sexual conduct, eroticism, sexual orientation and gender identity (the packet lists gender identity, gender ideology and gender…