BOSTON — As it did in 2015, the Massachusetts Senate passed a bill nearly entirely along party lines on Thursday dictating how school districts teach sex education; and just like two years ago, the biggest sticking point for the bill's opponents was the lack of an opt-in stipulation for parents and guardians.
Unlike in 2015, however, it is likely this version of the bill will reach the House floor for a vote, but it remains to be seen if lawmakers on the other side of the State House attach the failed parental opt-in amendment touted Thursday by House Minority Leader Bruce Tarr (R-Gloucester).
BOSTON — With a Senate vote looming Thursday on a controversial sex education bill, lawmakers have offered a flurry of amendments — most notably Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr (R-Gloucester), submitted an "opt-in" measure, making the courses an elective and meaning that children can't participate in the coursework without parental approval.
The Senate had previously passed a near-identical form of the legislation 32-6 in November 2015, but the House did not take up the bill prior to the end of the legislative session, effectively scuttling the measure. The proposal has drawn outrage from conservative groups such as the Massachusetts Family Institute for a variety of reasons, including elements of the proposed curriculum claiming that education on matters such as anal sex are "age-appropriate" for 12-year-olds.
