PA Bill Addresses 'Sexually Explicit' Content In School Curriculum

PENNSYLVANIA — Legislators in Pennsylvania are claiming that "sexually explicit" content in school curricula requires requires greater oversight, and a new legislation is forthcoming that would include parents in the educational decision making process.

The bill is the latest in an ongoing series of debates surrounding what role parents should play in determining their child's curriculum, and to what degree the law should stipulate that involvement.

"In examples right here in Pennsylvania, parents have identified books and assignments provided to their children that contain sexually explicit content that adults would be prohibited from viewing while at work," State Sen. Ryan P. Aument (R-Lancaster) wrote in a co-sponsorship memorandum. Parents, understandably, are outraged."

Aument's bill would require schools to identify any sexually explicit content in all educational materials, and then notify parents about the content. Parents would also be notified if children tried to read a library book containing similar material. Once notified, parents would be able opt their child out of that coursework or library book, and the child would be provided with a "non-explicit" alternative.

It is unclear who would determine exactly what qualifies as sexually explicit, or what barometer would be used.

The proposal has stark similarities to House Bill 1332, or the "Empowering Parents With Curriculum Transparency" bill, which was passed in December. That bill would require school districts to allow parents to readily access information online regarding their child's curriculum.

Gov. Tom Wolf promised a veto of 1332. At the time, opposing Democrats said the bill was an effort to incite division, as well as undermine the authority of the school boards, and that had nothing to do with transparency.

The power of school boards has been under question for months, ever since they became front and center at the start of the 2021-22 school year. Highly polarizing and partisan policy issues surrounding the pandemic, like mask wearing, along with educational philosophies like Critical Race Theory, raised tensions to a boiling point in meetings around the country. And it left many parents, who had seen such public meetings as an invitation into the decision-making process, frustrated and powerless.

Aument, in a related vein, noted his bill is needed because his office has been contacted by parents who "felt like their concerns were dismissed or trivialized" when they tried to broach the subject with school boards.

"In this day and age, when it seems increasingly unlikely that a community will reach consensus about what is appropriate educational content for children, we must empower parents to individually make that decision," he wrote.

The bill has not yet been introduced, and an exact date for introduction has not yet been announced.

Read the full co-sponsorship memorandum online here.