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Board approves videos to implement prenatal‑development requirement in House Bill 1313
Summary
The Board approved three videos the department recommended to help districts comply with the newly enacted House Bill (listed in the transcript as “House Bill 13 13”); two online videos must be paired to meet statutory content and length requirements. The board vote was 7–0.
The Board of Education Standards unanimously approved a short list of prenatal human‑development videos that school districts may use to satisfy a state law requiring at least a three‑minute showing of prenatal development content.
Shannon Malone of the Department of Education told the board the department solicited submissions after the legislature enacted the measure (referred to in the transcript as “House Bill 13 13”). Malone said the department used a rubric to review submissions and recommended three options that meet statutory criteria: a Britannica‑sourced segment (biology of prenatal development), a live‑action submission dubbed “Baby Olivia,” and a DVD whose owner submitted the material via a school district that currently uses it.
The department screened submissions to ensure they meet the statute’s content requirements and to avoid conflicts of interest: reviewers excluded sources that perform or promote abortions or that contract with or refer to providers of abortion services, Malone said. The statute requires the video show prenatal human development from fertilization through birth and include high‑definition ultrasound or computer‑generated renderings; it also sets a minimum display length of three minutes.
Malone said two of the approved videos are available online for free and one comes as a DVD that retails in the department’s search at roughly $15–$29 including shipping. Because the Britannica and Baby Olivia videos together more reliably meet both statutory subsections, the department recommended districts can use the two together in place of the DVD. Malone added the department will issue annual calls for proposals to refresh the approved list as new materials become available.
A reporter asked whether the department would track which videos districts use when they file annual assurances; Malone said the department will track implementation but that some district‑level submission details might not be publicly posted initially.
Board members asked whether the review rubric considered scientific accuracy and the department replied that accuracy, milestones and terminology were part of the rubric; department reviewers described the National Geographic submission as “extremely well sourced.” A board motion to approve the three recommended resources passed 7–0.
What’s next: The department will publish the approved list on its prenatal human‑growth and development webpage, share it with school districts, and require an annual assurance from districts that they have met the statutory requirement.
