Sen. Win Stoller (R-Germantown Hills) | Photo Courtesy of Win Stoller
Sen. Win Stoller (R-Germantown Hills) | Photo Courtesy of Win Stoller
A bill that would overhaul the state's sex education system was recently passed by the Illinois Senate Executive Committee, according to a press report.
Senate Bill 818 and two amendments to the bill would mandate that the subject's curriculum include "comprehensive personal health and safety education" and "comprehensive sexual health education."
"The Senate Executive Committee recently approved Senate Bill 818 along party lines. This bill completely changes how sex education is taught to K – 12 students in Illinois and could be voted on by the Senate as soon as today," Sen. Win Stoller (R-Peoria) wrote in a Facebook post,"This proposal had over 1,500 opposition witness slips filed against it, including from the Illinois State Board of Education, Illinois Association of School Boards, Illinois Principals Association and the Illinois Coalition of Nonpublic Schools. If you OPPOSE these controversial standards, reach out to your legislator and tell them to vote NO on Senate Bill 818."
The bill mandates age-appropriate consent education for students in grades K-12, among other additions to the sex education curriculum; it also provides educational protections for LGBTQ students, students with disabilities and students with children.
Proponents of the bill testified that children are most vulnerable to sexual assault between the ages of 7 and 13, with the median age of victimized minors being 9 years old; advocates also said that by teaching children about acceptable and unacceptable behavior at a young age, they would be better equipped to report abuse to adults.
Representatives of the Illinois Association of School Boards and the Catholic Conference of Illinois testified against the bill, stating that the legislation is "is an unconstitutional violation of the free exercise of religion.”
Private and charter schools are currently expected to provide information on the prevention, transmission, and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases under the state's Critical Health Problems and Comprehensive Health Education Act.
The bill passed both chambers and has been sent to Gov. Pritzker.
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