Clearer rules for opting a child out of health education

What happened

On October 7, 2025 the committee unanimously approved a revised policy IHAM on health education. The revision names the three exemptions allowed by state law, replaces the word "exclusion" with "opt-out", folds in the old regulation IHAM-R (which was then deleted), and adds a requirement that schools tell families how to opt a student out and how curriculum is reviewed. Parents had told the committee in September that the previous one-week window to opt out was too short.

Why it matters to families

Health education covers subjects some families want to handle at home. This spells out the right to opt out and puts the duty on schools to explain how.

The evidence

The October 7, 2025 approved minutes record the second read of policy IHAM, the description of the three statutory waivers and the new duty on schools to give families direction on opting out, and the unanimous votes to approve IHAM and delete IHAM-R.

The source