OKLAHOMA CITY — An Oklahoma House committee narrowly advanced a measure that would only allow a student to receive sexual education if their parents opt in.

, by Rep. Danny Williams, R-Seminole, also removes a requirement that students be taught about consent during sexual encounters.

Currently, state law requires parents to opt out if they don’t want their child to learn about sexual education in school, but Williams aims to flip that so parents instead have to give written permission for their child to receive it.

“People should know what their (children) are being asked to be involved in,” he said.

Williams said when he attended school, sexual education wasn’t part of the curriculum.

His bill also requires schools to include lessons dealing with biological sex classifications.

It also allows people to ignore preferred pronouns, such as he or she, if the pronouns don’t correspond to a person’s biological sex.

He said he’s concerned that parents don’t pay attention to notes that come home from school and might miss the opportunity to opt out. He believes it should be up to a parent to decide whether a child should learn about sexuality in school.

“If it passes and becomes a law, a lot more parents will be completely engaged in their children’s education because it will challenge them to be part of the decision making process,” Williams said.

Rep. Nick Archer, R-Elk City, who voted against the measure, said he’s concerned that parents, who want their children to receive sexual education, might overlook the school notes that allow them to opt in.

He said Oklahoma ranks in the Top 10 in and for some , especially in rural areas.

Some parents believe trained sexual education teachers are better prepared to educate about preventing the spread of those diseases, Archer said.

He said he’s also concerned that the bill removes the requirement to teach students about consent.

Rep. Jay Steagall, R-Yukon, said requiring parents to opt in allows parents to provide “positive affirmation” that children should participate.

But Rep. Jared Deck, D-Norman, said he’s concerned that the change might violate federal laws that prohibit in education programs.

Students whose parents aren’t actively involved might miss out on sex education, Deck said.

“When we send kids home to abusive spaces, to parents who are irresponsible, what is the consequence for their actions or their lack of actions whenever they aren’t teaching,” he said, adding that he’s concerned a lack of comprehensive sex education could lead to negative family outcomes.

He also said the lawmakers are continually changing the state’s curriculum at a time when school districts need dependability. Local communities want the power to decide what’s being taught in their schools, Deck said. They don’t want lawmakers dictating that to them, he said.

The measure, which passed 4-3, heads to the full House.

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“We think that schools are the best place to reach the most children to talk about personal body safety,” said Altschiller, a Stratham Democrat. “And that is their right. They have the right to be safe.” 

This year, Altschiller and a group of Democratic lawmakers say it’s time for public school classrooms to take it on: sexual assault education and prevention. House Democrats are advancing a bill that would require consent to be taught in New Hampshire public schools as part of a school’s health education curriculum. 

“The precedent for preventing harm and promoting well-being through education is clearly established,” said Rep. Amanda Elizabeth Toll, the Keene Democrat spearheading the bill. 

would require that schools include “age-appropriate instruction on the meaning of consent, respect for personal boundaries, and sexual violence prevention” in the basic curriculum for all students. 

At a hearing Tuesday, supporters of the bill said that the instruction would be valuable to head off incidents of violence and violation of personal space — both in adolescence and later in life. 

“We see the importance of smoking prevention education because of the damaging health effects: it’s important enough to be part of health curriculums,” said Emily Murphy, a prevention program specialist at HAVEN New Hampshire, a violence prevention center. “The negative health impacts of child sexual abuse and other forms of sexual violence are staggering.”

Alberto Soto, currently the director of counseling at Middlebury College in Vermont, said he had treated young adults on both sides of the equation: those who have caused harm and those who have experienced it. The trauma caused by a violation of consent can follow students for years, Soto said.

“The only way that we can help prevent harm is through education and through preventative measures,” Soto said. 

For Renee Monteil, consent lessons were already built into her parenting approach for her two young daughters. When one toddler would bite another, Monteil would teach them not to, framing it around consent. But when it comes to sexual health, Montiel said, the lessons are some that all students should receive. 

“Teaching consent is teaching life skills,” Monteil, of Keene, told lawmakers. “Teaching consent is also about giving all of our children the tools they need to navigate society safely. With confidence.”

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