Teaching students about sexual violence prevention is essential for nurturing safe and caring schools and communities. It equips students with information and skills that promote healthy relationships and respect for others. It also helps students understand how to seek support if they or someone they know experiences sexual violence.
By SY 2026-2027, all schools will provide annual sexual violence prevention instruction to students in grades K-12. The prevention-oriented and developmentally-appropriate instructional content addresses:
bodily autonomy (e.g., body awareness and safety, consent, boundaries),
recognizing and reporting sexual abuse, and
accessible resources (e.g., trusted adults, community resources).
Schools will be responsible for providing a description of the curriculum on their public-facing websites. Before the start of instruction to students, schools will notify parents and legal guardians about the upcoming instruction, how to preview the school’s materials, and the opt-out process.
Opt-Out Process: A student shall be excused from sexual violence prevention instruction only upon the prior written request of the student’s parent or legal guardian. A student may not be subject to disciplinary action, academic penalty, or other sanctions if the student’s parent or legal guardian makes a written request.