House panel raise concerns surrounding sex-education bill

Lawmakers on an Idaho House panel said they have too many concerns regarding a proposal to update the state’s nearly 50-year-old sex education law.

Instead, the House Education Committee on Friday agreed the bill needs to be amended before allowing the full House to vote on it.

Rep. Julie VanOrden, chair of the House Education panel, says her one-page bill aligns Idaho’s 1970 sex education law with more recently updated health education standards.

Currently, the law says sex education programs should provide information on controlling sex drive through self-discipline. It also focuses on teaching students the values they should have while choosing a spouse.

The new proposal removes that language but maintains that sex education programs should respect community values.

However, some lawmakers said the bill should be tweaked to better protect parental rights.