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Health curriculum bill advances after hours of testimony over scope, opt-outs and who sets materials
Summary
The Healthy Arkansas Education Act, which lists topics for health classes and directs agencies to identify evidence-based resources, moved out of the Senate Education Committee after extensive debate over parental opt-outs, UAMS involvement and whether existing standards already cover the subjects.
Senator Bond introduced the Healthy Arkansas Education Act (SB 304), saying the bill aims to ensure core health topics are addressed for Arkansas students in the wake of high rates of teen pregnancy, suicide and other youth risk behaviors. “We lead the nation in teen pregnancy,” Bond said while describing county-level birth-rate statistics he circulated for senators.
Bond and Department of Education staff stressed the bill is intended to add clarity, not to micromanage classroom curriculum. Stacy Smith of the Department of Education told the committee that the new health standards are…
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