Know Your Rights: Sex Education

California students have the right to comprehensive sex education that is medically accurate, inclusive, and unbiased. We developed the resources below to support parents, students, and administrators in ensuring their schools meet the requirements of the California Healthy Youth Act, California’s sex education law, which went into effect in 2016.

• California Healthy Youth Act 101. Start here to find basic information and resources about the California Healthy Youth Act, including factsheets about how it applies to elementary and charter schools.

• Compliance Guidance. Technical resources to help administrators and others who want to learn how schools and districts can ensure legally compliant sex education in their schools. 

• Tools for Action. Want to learn how to take action in your school to ensure good sex education? These tools for students, parents, and other stakeholders will show you how to build an advocacy campaign from the ground up.

If you have concerns about the sex education that is being taught in your schools, let us know.

California Healthy Youth Act 101

• Fast Facts about the California Healthy Youth Act
  One-pager for parents and community members, ideal for sharing at community or school meetings.
  » Leer en español

• Know Your Rights: Sex Education
  Short factsheet for students about your right to good, comprehensive sex ed.
  » Leer en español

• Frequently Asked Questions
  Developed by the California Sexual Health Education Roundtable.
  Short factsheet that answers basic questions about the law, like “what content is required?” and “how does parental notification and opt-out work?” Helpful for sharing with parents, teachers, administrators, or advocates.
  » Leer en español

• Elementary School: Facts about the California Healthy Youth Act
  » Leer en español

• Charter Schools: Facts about the California Healthy Youth Act
  One-pager on sex education requirements for charter schools, following the passage of AB 2601 in 2018.

• Parent Fact Sheet
  Parents/guardians have a critical role in ensuring their children receive comprehensive sex ed. Use this primer to get familiar with the California Healthy Youth Act or share with other parents at your school.
  » Leer en español
  » 讀中文

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Compliance guidance

• Questions & Answers for School Districts
  Technical FAQ to learn about specific requirements of the law, including relevant sections of the Education Code.
  » Leer en español

• Compliance Evaluation Checklist for Districts
  » Leer en español

• Curricular Materials & Resources
  List of updated curricula to help school administrators identify the sex education curricula that work best for their students.
  » Leer en español

• Curriculum Review: HEART
  A legal analysis of the sex ed curriculum HEART: Health Education and Relationship Training.

• LGBTQ Opt-Out Factsheet
  Can schools facilitate the selective opt-out by parents of LGBTQ content in sex education? Simply put—no. Read about how California’s LGBTQ-inclusivity requirements interact with parental opt-out from sex education.

• LGBTQ & Gender Inclusiveness Assessment Tool
  Evaluation checklist to ensure instruction and materials are LGBTQ- and gender-inclusive.
  » Leer en español

• Medical Accuracy Assessment Tool
  Knowing fact from fiction is key to ensuring that schools provide medically accurate information. Use this tool to see if the content in your curriculum meets this standard.

• Sample Parent/Guardian Notification Letter
  Customizable template for administrators that provides all required information for parental notification and opt-out.
  » Leer en español

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Tools for action

• Take Action!
  Parents are often the first line of defense when it comes to protecting their children’s right to comprehensive sex ed. Read this primer on parents’ role in school compliance.
  » Leer en español

• Be the Change: Advocacy Toolkit
  Developed in partnership with Bay Area Communities for Health Education (BACHE).
  Advocates come in all shapes and sizes – from parents to teachers to concerned community members – and you can all use this toolkit with a step-by-step checklist to make sure your school is providing legally compliant sex education.
  » Leer en español

• Are things heating up in your school district?
  The ACLU has also developed rapid response tools for sex ed advocacy. Fill out our legal intake form to tell us about your experience.

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More information

To learn more about our work on sex education, please see our main reproductive justice and gender equity page.

Questions?

Contact us at sexualhealthed@aclunc.org.