MS HB1537

State Department of Education and Mississippi Department of Health shall collaboratively develop a list of approved sex education curricula every five years beginning July 1, 2020, which must be culturally proficient, evidence-based, medically accurate, and age-appropriate for middle and high school students.

Sex education instruction shall be offered at least once in middle school and once in high school, with schools able to select different curricula for each level if applicable.

Requires sex education to include instruction on abstinence, healthy relationships, consent, state sexual conduct laws, interpersonal violence, human trafficking, contraceptive methods including FDA-approved forms, sexually transmitted diseases, and information addressing needs of students with disabilities and those who experienced sexual victimization.

Parents must receive at least one week's written notice before any sex-related instruction or presentation and have the right to request exclusion of their child from such instruction without penalty to the student.

Schools must continue teaching either abstinence-only or abstinence-plus education, and curricula may not teach that abortion can be used to prevent pregnancy.