Wednesday, October 11, 2023
Chair Lewis, Chair Garlick, and Members of the Joint Committee on Education:
My name is Jonathan Cohn, and I am the policy director at Progressive Massachusetts. We are a statewide, multi-issue, grassroots membership organization focused on fighting for policy that would make our Commonwealth more equitable, just, sustainable, and democratic.
I am writing today to urge you to give a favorable report to S.268/H.544: An Act relative to healthy youth (the “Healthy Youth Act”), filed by Sen. Sal DiDomenico and Reps. Jim O’Day and Vanna Howard.
The Healthy Youth Act would require that school districts that offer sex education provide a curriculum that is age-appropriate, medically accurate, consent-informed, and LGBTQ-inclusive so that all students have the knowledge and tools they need to form healthy relationships.
The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education recently updated the state’s health and physical education curriculum framework, and I was happy to see that it reflects this bill.
However, although the updated curriculum framework is vital for school districts, it is not enough. The curriculum framework offers guidance, but not requirements. The Healthy Youth Act provides minimum standards with which school districts that teach sex ed must comply and contains critical provisions around data collection.
We can’t wait another two decades for the next update to the health education curriculum, and the Healthy Youth Act establishes a process for routine updates.
Thank you for all your work on today’s hearing, and I again urge you to give a favorable report to S.268/H.544, the Healthy Youth Act.
Sincerely,
Jonathan Cohn
Policy Director
Progressive Massachusetts
