Kansas School Board Votes Parents Must Permit Sex Ed
Wednesday, March 15, 2006

TOPEKA, Kan. — School districts in Kansas must get parents' written permission before teaching their children sex education, the state Board of Education decided Wednesday.
The board adopted the policy in a 6-4 vote. Up to now, most Kansas districts had an "opt-out" policy — they enrolled children in sex ed unless a parent objected in writing.

Only a few other states have such "opt-in" requirements on sex education, according to the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States, a group that promotes sex education. Among them: Arizona, Nevada and Utah.

Board members who voted for the new policy said some parents told them they did not know their children were taking sex education until the classes had started.

"It's about empowering parents. That's the bottom line," said board chairman Steve Abrams.
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