Recently, members  of our community have reached out with questions about Senate Bill 5395.  The bill, which is currently on the Governor’s desk to sign, requires public schools to teach comprehensive sexual health education to all K-12 students starting in the 2022-23 school year.

The measure, resurrected from failed legislation first introduced in the 2019 legislative session, passed on a 56-40 party-line vote after nearly six hours of contentious debate in the House.  It’s important to note that parent notification requirements and “opt-out” provisions remain in the bill that passed in the House (that is, the option for parents to notify the school that they will be opting their child(ren) out of this unit of instruction).

Be assured that the Medical School District Board of Directors is aware of the current status of the bill  and our District Superintendent has taken a public stance (and advocated for the position in Olympia) that curriculum decisions – including those about sexual health education – belong at the local school district level. Seeing that this legislative mandate is now poised to become law in our state, please know that our school district will exercise as much local control as allowable in order to meet any mandated requirements, keeping the learning needs of our students and the values of our community at the center of our work.

Do know that once the bill is signed it will be up to the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction to interpret the law and provide further guidance to school districts through the rule-making process.  This process requires public opportunities for input. We will notify our community when those opportunities are open to ensure all voices are heard.

Ultimately, when the Governor signs the bill, we plan to engage our parents and community in the following ways:

• Convene a group of community stakeholders to review the Bill as passed
• Gather feedback from parents and the community through online surveys
• Begin the Medical Lake  School District Curriculum Material Adoption Process in the 2020-21 school year (this is a multi-step process with opportunities for input throughout the process)
• Examine multiple pathways for the dissemination of sexual health curriculum that meet the legislative mandates but also give families meaningful options

Medical Lake School District is committed to keeping you informed with ongoing communication that is open and transparent. We understand that this legislation may be concerning to a number of families in our community. Our pledge is to work collaboratively with families to honor the many perspectives and viewpoints around adoption of comprehensive sexual health curriculum for use in our schools.