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State Board committee recommends permission to adopt updates to Maryland’s Comprehensive Health Education framework
Summary
The Education Policy Committee voted to recommend permission to adopt updates to COMAR 13A.04.18 and the PreK–12 Comprehensive Health Education Framework after staff reported 625 public responses and emphasized that parents retain opt-out and review rights.
The Education Policy Committee recommended permission to adopt revisions to COMAR 13A.04.18, the State’s Comprehensive Health Education instructional program, following a presentation from Jason Seminoff, Director of Comprehensive Health and Physical Education.
Seminoff told members the health education standards and framework validation committee reviewed public health trends and drafted updates to the regulation and the health education framework. He said MSDE solicited feedback through outreach events and a four-question Qualtrics survey and received responses from 625 people representing community members, district staff, parents, guardians, students and teachers from 20 of Maryland’s 24 local education agencies.
"Overall, the majority of our respondents expressed direct support for the changes or supported them with amendments," Seminoff said, noting MSDE will not alter indicators addressing respectful treatment of people with differing gender identities and sexual orientations because those indicators were developed with subject-matter experts and align with statute that prohibits bullying and harassment. He added that parents and guardians retain the right to review instructional materials and to opt their student out of family life and human sexuality instruction without penalty.
Seminoff described framework edits that add current public health terminology, expand the glossary, add hyperlinks, and update substance-use indicators (including grade-level indicators for seventh grade and for juniors and seniors in the required high-school health course). He said the department will not change the regulation itself at this time but will produce implementation supports, plain-language guidance for parents, and professional learning for educators ahead of full implementation targeting the 2027–28 school year.
After the presentation a committee member moved and another seconded the motion to grant permission to adopt; the committee voted unanimously to recommend the amendments to the full State Board. Members thanked Seminoff and his team for the months of work and asked staff to continue outreach to address lingering public misunderstanding about family life and human sexuality instruction.
The committee advanced the proposed regulation to the full State Board for final action.
