HI HCR49

Urges the Hawaii Board of Education to consider allowing high school health education teachers to distribute condoms and other prophylactic devices to students as part of safe sexual practices promotion.

Notes that the Board of Education passed Sexual Health Education Policy No. 103.5 in 2015 requiring sexual health education to include abstinence, contraception, and infection prevention methods.

Cites 2015 Youth Risk Behavior Study data showing over 21 percent of Hawaii high school students are sexually active but have the lowest condom use rate among surveyed states.

References recommendations from major medical organizations including the Institute of Medicine, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American Academy of Pediatrics, and American Medical Association supporting condom availability in schools.

Identifies barriers to condom access for students, including lack of resources, confidentiality concerns, and convenience or cost issues in rural communities.