Q&A
Parental opt-out options for HIV and sex education lessons
0:44:05
·
83 sec
Council Member Rita Joseph inquires about parental opt-out options for HIV and sex education lessons. Key points from the DOE representatives' responses:
- Parents can't opt out of the entire curriculum or health education class
- They can opt out of lessons on prevention methods for pregnancy and STIs
- This applies to both general sex ed and HIV lessons
- Parents receive letters in 10 languages explaining opt-out options
- Parents can't opt out of lessons on abstinence, healthy relationships, or general health topics
• The DOE provides information to parents about which lessons are available for opt-out • Opt-out options are a state requirement for certain prevention-related lessons
Rita Joseph
0:44:05
For the HIV lessons, when families opt out of it, what is the option?
Despina Zaharakis
0:44:12
Sarah can respond to that.
Narrator in Shown Video
0:44:13
Yeah.
0:44:14
So families can't opt out of the entire curriculum just like they can't opt out of the entire sexual health unit or health education class.
0:44:21
They can opt out of lessons on prevention methods.
0:44:24
So these are methods of pregnancy and STI prevention, and again, that's true for both the general sex ed lessons as well as the HIV lessons.
0:44:32
Those are, that's a state, requirement that parents have the right to opt out of those lessons.
Rita Joseph
0:44:37
Where do you where do they normally get the information if they're not getting it from you?
Narrator in Shown Video
0:44:41
Yeah.
0:44:41
So we have, letters in all 10 languages that the New York City Public Schools translates into that we share with schools to send home to families.
0:44:49
So, those include, overview of what the lessons include and which, which lessons are available for them to opt out and the instructions for them to do that.
Rita Joseph
0:44:58
What lessons are they allowed to opt out in, and what which ones they're not allowed to opt out?
Narrator in Shown Video
0:45:02
Yeah.
0:45:02
So they can opt out of any lesson that has to do with things like condom use, prep, and contraception, so things that deal with methods of prevention.
0:45:12
They can't opt out of lessons on abstinence, and they can't opt out of the general other lessons that have to do with things like washing your hands, right, at the elementary level or, healthy relationships, say, at the at the middle school level.
Rita Joseph
0:45:25
Those are more universal versus
Narrator in Shown Video
0:45:26
Exactly.
0:45:27
Exactly.
