HB332: relative to school district policy regarding objectionable course material.

HB 332 – VERSION ADOPTED BY BOTH BODIES

05/14/2015 1559s

2015 SESSION

15-0206

04/08

HOUSE BILL 332

AN ACT relative to school district policy regarding objectionable course material.

SPONSORS: Rep. V. Sullivan, Hills 16; Rep. Infantine, Hills 13; Rep. Cordelli, Carr 4; Rep. Lachance, Hills 8; Rep. D. Brown, Graf 16

COMMITTEE: Education

ANALYSIS

This bill requires school districts to provide advance notice to parents and legal guardians of course material involving discussion of human sexuality or human sexual education.

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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.

Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]

Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

05/14/2015 1559s

15-0206

04/08

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Fifteen

AN ACT relative to school district policy regarding objectionable course material.

Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:

1 State Board of Education; Duties. Amend RSA 186:11, IX-c to read as follows:

IX-c. Require school districts to adopt a policy allowing an exception to specific course material based on a parent’s or legal guardian’s determination that the material is objectionable. Such policy shall include a provision requiring the parent or legal guardian to notify the school principal or designee in writing of the specific material to which they object and a provision requiring an alternative agreed upon by the school district and the parent, at the parent’s expense, sufficient to enable the child to meet state requirements for education in the particular subject area. The policy shall also require the school district or classroom teacher to provide parents and legal guardians not less than 2 weeks advance notice of curriculum course material used for instruction of human sexuality or human sexual education. The policy shall address the method of delivering notification to a parent or legal guardian. To the extent practicable, a school district shall make curriculum course materials available to parents or legal guardians for review upon request. The name of the parent or legal guardian and any specific reasons disclosed to school officials for the objection to the material shall not be public information and shall be excluded from access under RSA 91-A.

2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.