Ducey Vetoes Bill, Issues Executive Order Protecting K-5 Sex Ed

On Tuesday, Governor Doug Ducey vetoed a bill that would have delayed the teaching of Sex Ed until the fifth grade. Ducey called the bill “vague and overly broad.”

Ducey followed the veto with an executive order to address the issue. The order requires the State Board of Education to adopt the following requirements by June 30, 2021:

All meetings held for the purposes of reviewing and selecting the sex education course of study must be publicly noticed at least two weeks before occurring and be open to the public.

Any proposed sex education course of study must be available and accessible for review and public comment for at least sixty days before the governing board or governing body decides whether to approve that course of study.

At least two public hearings within the sixty-day period before the governing board or governing body approves any course of study must be conducted.

Once a course of study has been approved, a school district or charter school shall make the sex education curricula available for parental review, both online and in-person at least two weeks before any instruction is offered.

Any existing sex education course of study must be made available and accessible for review both online and in person.

Barto said that the governor’s veto undermined parent’s rights. She said that the “commonsense bill” aimed to “put sensitive decisions about Sex Ed and parents’ hands.”

“An Executive Order is no substitute for parental rights grounded in law. The bill created workable transparency solutions for parents and stopped Sex Ed for younger school age children – something an overwhelming a mature overwhelming majority of Arizona support,” continued Barto. “The veto undermines every single elected Republican Legislature who voted to defend parents and address the frustrations they face with the current status quo that provides opt out for some sexual materials and opt in for others. Arizona is one of the best states to raise a family, but this decision is inconsistent with that reputation. While I am extremely disappointed, my commitment to parents’ fundamental rights remains unchanged. I will continue to work with my colleagues to protect Arizona parents.”