The Kansas state board of education adopted an opt-in policy for sex education on a 6-4 vote last week. The new policy, included in the Kansas Model Curricular Standards for Health, means that “schools must get parental permission prior to allowing students to enroll in sex education classes.” But because the new policy is part of the nonbinding model health standards, the board has no authority to enforce it, according the David S. Awbrey, the spokesman for the Kansas Department of Education.
A version of this article appeared in the March 22, 2006 edition of Education Week