Senate committee approves bill requiring 'sexual risk‑avoidance' instruction, bans comprehensive curricula in K–12 schools

Senator Shellnut's SB 277, a bill that would require sex‑education programs in public schools to teach a sexual risk‑avoidance (SRA) approach and prohibit comprehensive sex‑education content that promotes contraception or abortion access, received a favorable committee report by a recorded vote of 7–1.

The bill's sponsor told the committee the measure requires parental notification 14 days before any sex‑education content is delivered and allows parents to opt their children out. Sponsor remarks and the substitute language emphasize an SRA approach — described in testimony as ‘‘risk avoidance’’ or primary prevention — and prohibit curricula that, in the sponsor's words, would "support, demonstrate, or provide access to contraceptives, abortion, [or] graphically explicit material."

Why the hearing mattered: The committee heard extended public testimony from organizations and individuals across the state. Most public witnesses who spoke favored the bill and described SRA as a holistic, research‑based approach aimed at delaying sexual activity and promoting life skills. Proponents pointed to local programs and personal experience, while opponents (limited or absent in the hearing record) raised concerns in other forums about comprehensive curricula.

Public testimony highlights: - Becky Garretson, executive director of Eagle Forum of Alabama, presented lesson examples from comprehensive sex‑education curricula and told the committee one lesson packet for 12‑ to 14‑year‑olds is titled "How to Make Condoms Pleasurable." She said materials in some federally funded county programs include explicit suggested answers and games that she described as inappropriate for that age group. - Jason Mann, chairman of the Alabama sexual risk‑avoidance education coalition, cited historical research and argued that limiting "wanton sexual opportunity" produces healthier cultural outcomes; he told the committee, "50 percent of all annual STD infections are sexually active teens." (Transcript: Jason Mann.) - Joy Wassel, a former educator who has run an SRA program for more than two decades, described pre/post program survey results and said some students change their intentions about abstinence after SRA programming; she also said the programs discuss contraception "in the actual efficacy of the population we're teaching" and that instructors do not create a false sense of security.

Committee action and process: After public testimony, Senator Shellnut moved the bill be given a favorable report; the motion was seconded and a recorded roll returned a committee tally reported as 7–1 in favor. The committee record shows an amendment process and sponsor statements clarifying parental notice and opt‑out procedures.

What the bill would do (as described in committee): - Require SRA (sexual risk‑avoidance) curriculum consistent with a public‑health primary‑prevention model. - Require 14‑day parental or guardian notification prior to instruction and provide a parental opt‑out. - Prohibit curricular elements that support access to contraceptives, abortion, graphically explicit content, or that normalize sexual activity for minors.

Next steps: With a favorable committee report, SB 277 moves to subsequent Senate floor action or additional committee referrals according to chamber rules. The committee record indicates proponents expect the measure to be championed in later stages of the legislative process.

Attribution: Quotes and attributions appear verbatim from committee testimony (Becky Garretson, Jason Mann, Joy Wassel). The committee transcript records the roll call and the motion to report favorably.