A bill that would mandate sexual-education instruction for all public school students in Pennsylvania is gaining ground in the state Legislature.
The House Education Committee Wednesday approved House Bill 1163, which would mandate "age-appropriate" sex-education classes covering a variety of topics, from abstinence to contraceptives.
It's that last topic that has sparked controversy.
State Rep. Gordon Denlinger, a Republican from Narvon, said the bill's emphasis on contraceptives would result in schools "promoting casual sexual activity among our teen population."
"This stands in direct contradiction to the wishes of most parents of public school students," he said.
State Rep. Mike Sturla, a Lancaster city Democrat who co-sponsored the bill, said polls indicate that 85 percent of parents are in favor of sex-ed instruction for their children.
"My sense is a majority of parents will be glad to have their children taught this stuff that many of them are too squeamish to talk about," he said.
"I don't think it's in our best interests to have kids not knowing the realities of life."
Currently, each public school district decides whether and when to teach sexual education to its students.
All Lancaster County districts teach students about human sexuality, in some cases as early as the fourth grade. But the level of instruction varies from district to district.
House Bill 1163 would make it a state mandate and require that all instruction be "age appropriate" and "medically accurate" — endorsed by such groups as the American Medical Association and state Department of Health.
The curriculum would have to include instruction on contraceptive use and sexually transmitted infections, or STIs.
Parents could choose to have their children opt out of the instruction, which is designed to reduce STIs and pregnancies among teens.
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County school officials had mixed reactions to the legislation — if they weighed in at all.
Despite repeated attempts to get comment from officials at the 17 public districts that enroll county students, less than half of them responded.
Those who did said they're already meeting most of the requirements of the proposed legislation.
Officials at School District of Lancaster, Lampeter-Strasburg, Manheim Township, Conestoga Valley and Hempfield said their health and physical education classes cover much of what would be mandated in law.
L-S, for example, teaches an eighth-grade health education course that covers human sexuality, abstinence, puberty, reproduction and STIs, assistant superintendent Kevin Peart said.
The curriculum also explains how different contraception methods work.
"I don't see (the legislation) as a huge change from anything we're currently doing," Peart said.
Hempfield superintendent Brenda Becker said Hempfield schools are "already doing much of what is written" into the legislation.
She acknowledged that the requirement that contraceptive methods be taught would likely prove controversial in some districts if the legislation were to become law.
"Some local districts have adopted an abstinence-only curriculum, and many parents would prefer an abstinence-only approach," she said in an e-mail.
"Having the opt-out option for parents should take care of this issue."
Currently, Hempfield students are taught that "if they choose to become sexually active, condom use is 'safer sex,' not 'safe sex,' " Mark Ashley, the district's health and physical education coordinator, said in an e-mail
"So in that way we do discuss contraception usage but do not spend much class time on this specific topic or delve into other types of contraception," Ashley said in the e-mail.
Manheim Township students also learn about contraceptives in their health classes, spokeswoman Marcie Brody said in an e-mail.
"The curriculum includes representative models of contraceptive devices or overhead transparency illustrations of contraceptive devices," she said.
"However, we are not in the practice of creating demonstrations of proper or improper use of the contraceptive devices."
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In Solanco. students take a Human Growth and Development course in which a male doctor talks to boys and a female nurse talks to girls in fourth grade about maturing, district spokesman Keith Kaufman said.
In seventh grade, students receive more in-depth instruction that addresses anatomical and emotional issues involved with growing up, but at neither grade level do students learn about contraceptives, Kaufman said.
CV students learn about reproductive anatomy and HIV/AIDS in the eighth grade, spokesman Adam Aurand said.
In 11th grade, they learn about STIs and contraceptives. Teachers highlight "the facts regarding effectiveness for pregnancy — and sexually transmitted disease — prevention," he said in an e-mail.
"In the last four or five years, we have taken a more comprehensive approach, but our basic message of abstinence has remained the same."
Aurand said the district is taking a "wait-and-see" approach to the legislation.
"Locally, there are a lot of people who still need to weigh in, including our school board," he said.
Manheim Central superintendent William Clark said he hopes the legislation, if approved, would provide enough leeway for districts to tailor instruction to meet the standards of the community.
"I think we know it needs to be taught, but the curriculum needs to be delicate, based on the community's needs," Clark said.
It's not clear when the legislation may come up for a vote in the House.