Texas Senate Bill SB 1396

Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

• Filed: 2/19/25
• Out of Senate Committee: 3/26/25
• Voted on by Senate: 4/8/25
• Out of House Committee: 5/22/25

Caption

Relating to prohibiting the adoption or use of national sex education standards in public schools.

Summary

SB 1396 would prohibit the Texas State Board of Education from adopting national sex education standards, including standards developed by the Future of Sex Education Initiative, and would bar school districts and open-enrollment charter schools from being required to use any curriculum based on those standards. The bill also amends existing law governing human sexuality instruction to expressly state that such instruction may not be based on national sex education standards. The bill preserves Texas’s current abstinence-centered framework for sex education. It keeps existing requirements that instruction on human sexuality, sexually transmitted diseases, and HIV/AIDS emphasize abstinence as the preferred choice, devote more attention to abstinence than other behaviors, and present contraception and condom use using human-use reality rates if included in the curriculum. The bill applies beginning with the 2025-2026 school year and would take effect immediately only if it receives the constitutionally required two-thirds vote; otherwise, it takes effect September 1, 2025.

Impact

SB 1396 would amend Sections 28.002 and 28.004 of the Texas Education Code to prohibit state adoption or local use requirements tied to national sex education standards. It would not eliminate sex education instruction, but it would restrict the standards that may guide that instruction and reinforce existing state law favoring abstinence-based content. The practical effect would be to limit the influence of national curriculum frameworks in public schools and charter schools and to preserve local and state control over sex education materials.

Sentiment

The available voting history suggests the bill advanced on a largely party-line basis, with 19 yeas and 11 nays on the recorded Senate votes. That pattern indicates support among proponents for restricting national standards and maintaining Texas-specific sex education policy, while opponents likely viewed the measure as unnecessary or as further constraining curriculum options. No committee transcript was provided, so the record here reflects the vote pattern more than detailed debate.

Contention

The main point of contention is whether Texas should explicitly prohibit national sex education standards in public schools. Supporters are likely focused on local control, parental authority, and keeping sex education aligned with Texas values and abstinence-based requirements. Opponents are likely concerned that the bill narrows curriculum flexibility and may limit the use of broader, evidence-based instructional frameworks on sexual health, contraception, and disease prevention. The bill also sits within the broader debate over abstinence-only versus comprehensive sex education.