Despite receiving more support this session, Rep. Carol Spackman Moss’s latest attempt to update how health education is taught in Utah schools was killed on the final night of the Legislature, without any debate.
the state Board of Education to develop curriculum teaching students “sexual assault resource strategies” and “sexual violence behavior prevention,” including that the student “has a right to refuse any kind of physical touch from another individual,” how to set boundaries and their responsibility to respect other people’s boundaries.
This would be taught in an age-appropriate way that is “free from victim shaming,” the bill states, and teaches the early signs of coercion, emotional manipulation and grooming strategies. It may also “include instruction in refusal skills.” School districts would also incorporate data on sexual assault in their county into health education, according to the bill. And all of this would have been taught twice, once in seventh grade and again in high school.“I believe this is important due to the prevalence of sexual assault in our state, unfortunately, and in our schools,” Cullimore told his colleagues Friday on the Senate floor.The voting began, with the bill ultimately failing with 10 votes in favor and 18 against.
“I was just stunned,” Moss said, adding that some of the young people she worked with on the bill were crying. HB274 had previously passed out of the House on a vote of 43-25, and it received support from committees in both chambers.Last session, Moss shared that her three daughters encouraged her to run her bill to helpMoss shared “alarming” statistics this session, including that