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Assembly hears hours of testimony on AB205 as bill would switch Nevada school sex‑ed from opt‑in to opt‑out
Summary
The Assembly Education Committee heard extensive testimony on Assembly Bill 205, which would change Nevada law (NRS 389.036) to make human sexuality instruction a default‑enrolled (opt‑out) activity while preserving parents’ right to withdraw their children and requiring annual notification.
Assembly Bill 205 drew more than an hour of committee testimony and extensive public comment after sponsor Heather Golding presented an amendment that would change the parental‑permission system for school human sexuality instruction from opt‑in to opt‑out while retaining annual parental notification.
"This bill maintains parents' control while shifting the policy from opt in to opt out," Golding said, framing the proposal as a narrow administrative change to NRS 389.036 that preserves parental authority to withdraw a child at any time while reducing the number of students excluded because parents failed to return opt‑in paperwork.
Golding and medical witnesses emphasized public‑health outcomes. Mary Anne (Mary) Estrada, representing the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists' Nevada section and a UNLV medical student, told the committee that laboratory and clinical experience show sexually transmitted infections (STIs) can have lasting consequences: "STIs are hard to detect, yet they have long term consequences," she said, citing chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis and noting Nevada’s elevated disease rankings.
Proponents provided district data on the current opt‑in system’s gaps. Sponsor materials and district responses reported that about 2% of parents actively opt out and approximately 5% do not respond under the existing opt‑in statute; Clark County supplied current‑year figures showing about 1% opted out and 7% nonresponse (an eight‑year average cited as about 8% nonresponse). Washoe County said its registration system reduces nonresponse to about 0.7% with 98.3% of parents enrolling children when registration asks parents to choose.
Supporters argued opt‑out would address the children most likely to miss instruction — including students experiencing homelessness, youth in foster care and families with limited access to mail or online registration — and would reduce administrative burdens on teachers who currently chase permissions. Public‑health organizations including Northern Nevada Public Health, the Nevada Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Nevada State Medical Association and the Children's Advocacy Alliance testified in support, citing Nevada’s relatively high rates of STIs and teen birth as a rationale for broader access to medically accurate, age‑appropriate instruction.
Opponents focused on parental‑rights and transparency concerns. Nevada Right to Life, Nevada Families for Freedom, Moms for Liberty and other citizens said an opt‑out default would weaken parental authority and risk enrolling children whose parents missed a notification. Several speakers urged preserving affirmative parental consent; some asked for online permission slips and easier access to curriculum materials instead of a statutory shift. Testifiers raised concerns about curriculum content, local control, and the potential for nonresponsive parents to be treated as implicit consent.
Committee members probed several issues: Assemblymember Lou LaRue Hatch asked about the mechanics of fee percentages and forms; Assemblymember Hanson warned about statewide mandates and local control; Assemblymember Flanagan raised questions about ensuring parents receive timely notification and asked whether a minimum notice period (for example 30 days) could be added; sponsor and witnesses said districts determine operational details but that the amendment requires annual notification and permits districts to use secure parent communication systems (for example, ParentSquare or Canvas) to satisfy notification.
No committee vote took place; the bill remained under consideration after 30 minutes of support, 30 minutes of opposition and a neutral period. Sponsor Golding said she would continue to refine language and consider committee suggestions on notification timing. The committee did not adopt any amendments on the record during the hearing and did not advance the bill that day.
Ending: The hearing produced detailed record testimony on health, equity and parental‑rights considerations; committee members and sponsors signaled further negotiation on notification language and district implementation details before any possible committee vote.
