SB 1710

Present law requires that the family life curriculum include instruction on the detection, intervention, prevention, and treatment of human trafficking in which the victim is a child. Present law generally prohibits teaching topics related to sexual acti vity to students in grades K-5 as part of a family life curriculum; provided, that such prohibition does not apply to a public school providing instruction to students in grades K-5 on the detection, intervention, prevention, and treatment of child sexual abuse and human trafficking in which the victim is a child. This bill replaces present law by removing instruction on human trafficking in which the victim is a child from the family life curriculum and adding child trafficking prevention and awareness education to the components that must be included in a coordinated school health program. This bill requires that the course of instruction in all public schools include age- and grade-appropriate child traffick ing prevention and awareness education as a component of health education for students in all grades K-12. This bill authorizes public schools to utilize the services of a qualified healthcare professional or social worker to assist in teaching child trafficking prevention and awareness; provided, that the qualified healthcare professional or social worker me ets the requirements for assisting in teaching family life under present law. This bill requires each local board of education and public charter school governing body to annually submit a plan to implement the requirements of this bill to the commissioner of education and publish the plan on the website for the LEA or public char ter school. The full text of this bill specifies components that must be include in the plans. This bill also requires each local board of education and public charter school governing body to annually submit a report to the commissioner of education concerning implementation of this bill. ON MARCH 9, 2026, THE HOUSE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED HOUSE BILL 1527, AS AMENDED. AMENDMENT #1 d eletes this bill's requirement for annual implementation reports to the commissioner. This amendment replaces this bill's requirement for annual plan submission with a requirement that, by August 1, 2026, each local board of education and public charter school governing body adopt a n implementation plan and, upon the request of the commissioner, provide the plan to the department. This amendment retains present law, which this bill would have deleted, which provides that the prohibition against i nstruction in topics related to sexual activity in grades K-5 does not prohibit an LEA or public charter school from providing instruction to students in such grades on the detection, intervention, prevention, and treatment of child sexual abuse . This amendment also removes the provision of this bill that would make child trafficking prevention and awareness education a component of the coordinated school health program .