United States Alaska Alaska California California Oregon Washington State Idaho Nevada Arizona Utah New Mexico Colorado Wyoming Montana North Dakota South Dakota Nebraska Kansas Oklahoma Texas Louisiana Minnesota Iowa Missouri Arkansas Mississippi Alabama Florida Georgia South Carolina North Carolina Tennessee Kentucky Illinois Indiana Ohio West Virginia Virginia Wisconsin Michigan Michigan Maryland Delaware Pennsylvania New Jersey New York Connecticut Rhode Island Massachusetts Vermont New Hampshire Maine Hawaii District of Columbia

TEXAS


Abstinence Education in Texas


Texas Sexuality Education Law and Policy


Texas does not require sexuality education. However, Texas Education Code states that if a school district does teach sexuality education, HIV/AIDS prevention, or sexually transmitted disease (STD) prevention education, then it must:


  • Present abstinence from sexual activity as the preferred choice of behavior in relationship to all sexual activity for unmarried persons of school age;
  • Devote more attention to abstinence from sexual activity than to any other behavior;
  • Emphasize that abstinence from sexual activity, if used consistently and correctly, is the only method that is 100% effective in preventing pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, infection with human immunodeficiency virus or acquired immune deficiency syndrome, and the emotional trauma associated with adolescent sexual activity;
  • Direct adolescents to a standard of behavior in which abstinence from sexual activity before marriage is the most effective way to prevent pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, and infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS); and
  • Teach contraception and condom use in terms of human use reality rates instead of theoretical laboratory rates, if instruction on contraception and condoms is included in curriculum content.

Sexuality education and STD/HIV-prevention education are also included in the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Health Education, which are written by the Texas Education Agency.


If a school district implements a sexuality education program, it must also set up an advisory board. The majority of this board must be made up by parents with children enrolled in the district who are not employed by the district. This board must “assist the district in ensuring that local community values are reflected in the district's health education instruction.”


Parents or guardians may remove their children from any part of sexuality education instruction by submitting a written request to the principal. This is referred to as an “opt-out” policy.

See Texas Education Code Sections 28.004 and 26.010 and Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Health Education.

Parents for Truth Member Organizations in Texas


Just Say Yes
Dan Bailey
PO Box 670863
Dallas, TX 75367
972-437-0002
www.justsayyes.org


Worth The Wait
Shawn Fouts
PO Box 51329
Amarillo, TX 79159
806-354-4442
www.worthwait.org


Wise Choices for Youth
Sandy Bradford
415 Breesport
San Antonio, TX 78216
www.wisechoicesforyouth.org


Other Abstinence Education Organizations in Texas