Bill requiring public schools to teach sex ed passes Senate Executive Committee

By RAYMON TRONCOSO, Capitol News Illinois

SPRINGFIELD – Legislation that would overhaul sex education in Illinois and a measure to decriminalize the transmission of HIV were among several bills that passed the Senate Executive Committee Wednesday.

The committee, following a long and contentious debate, advanced legislation that would require public schools to teach sex ed by July 2023. Senate Bill 818 and two amendments attached to the bill would mandate schools to include “comprehensive personal health and safety education and comprehensive sexual health education” in the curriculum for the subject.

Introduced by Sen. Ram Villivalam, D-Chicago, the legislation would require age-appropriate education for students grades K-12 on the subject of consent among other additions to the sex ed curriculum.

Proponents of the legislation testified that children are most vulnerable to sexual abuse between ages 7 and 13, with the median age of abused minors being 9 years old. By educating children at an early age about appropriate and inappropriate conduct, they have the tools to report to adults when they are suffering from abuse, advocates said.