STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE 

BOSTON, Tuesday, March 23 -- Rather than opting out of sex education classes, 
parents would be required to opt their children in, under a proposal being 
considered by the Education Committee. 

The bill (H 2310) requires school districts to notify parents of any 
courses where the primary content is sexuality, and requires parents to 
enroll their children through written consent to the school.  Currently, 
the enrollment presumption is the reverse - parents who don't want their 
kids in sex education have to actively take them out. 

At an executive session this afternoon, the committee decided to hold the 
bill while members investigate whether the Department of Education is 
properly monitoring whether schools are giving adequate notification of sex 
education classes.  At a hearing last week, some parents complained that 
schools did not give them enough time to take their kids out of classes. 

Co-chairman Hal Lane (D-Holden) said, "Both the senator (Co-chairman Robert 
Antonioni) and I felt we didn't want to take anecdotal advice on this. 
We're going to write a strong letter to the Department of Education to see 
if they're monitoring this." 

Lane said he suspects the legislation would place an "undue" burden on 
schools in terms of additional paperwork.  Committee member Rep. Robert 
Hargraves (R-Groton) agreed, saying that as a former school principal 
himself, "trying to do this would be a principal's nightmare." 

Committee member Rep. Eugene O'Flaherty (D-Chelsea) objected to holding the 
bill.  He said the law requires schools to notify parents about sex 
education courses, and if that's not happening, then the bill should go 
straight to the House where members can debate what to do about it. 
"What's the sense in holding it?" he said.  "I think we ought to move this 
issue along." 
 

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