Bill giving control to schools boards over sex education becomes law

A bill that puts local school boards in charge sex education will become a law, after Gov. Bill Walker decided against vetoing it Thursday.  House Bill 156 requires that school boards approve any sex education curriculum, as well as any teachers who aren’t employed under a contract with schools.

The bill also allows parents to opt their children out of any lesson. It also gives parents the right to review sex education curriculum and teachers’ credentials. And it bars the state from requiring school districts to administer standardized tests for two years, unless the federal government threatens to withhold money.

Walker said in a prepared statement that his decision was a close call.

Andrew Kitchenman

State Government Reporter, Alaska Public Media & KTOO

State government plays an outsized role in the life of Alaskans. As the state continues to go through the painful process of deciding what its priorities are, I bring Alaskans to the scene of a government in transition.

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