Education (Curriculum)

This bill amends Montana education laws to require parental consent for students to participate in identity instruction and strengthens parental notification rights regarding human sexuality education. It mandates that schools provide parents with written permission options before identity instruction and ensures parents receive advance notice at least 48 hours before any human sexuality or identity instruction events or materials are introduced. The legislation also requires school districts to publicly disclose curriculum materials and summaries annually, prohibits schools from accepting instruction from abortion service providers, and establishes reporting procedures for violations to the state Board of Public Education.

This bill (LC 2054) requires Montana public school districts to include specific prenatal development content in health curricula. It mandates that human growth and development instruction feature a 3-minute high-definition ultrasound video showing early fetal organ development and a computer-generated animation of fertilization through all stages of fetal development. These requirements apply to all public school health classes in Montana, affecting school districts, teachers, and students. The bill also includes provisions for parental notification and withdrawal rights regarding this content. It amends Montana law to integrate these requirements into the state’s health content standards, effective July 1, 2025.

This bill (LC 3313) proposed revising K-12 public school curricula to require teaching and memorization of biblical proverbs. It would directly affect students and teachers in public schools within the state by mandating specific content in classroom instruction. The bill died in committee on May 27, 2025, meaning it did not advance to become law. It aimed to integrate religious text memorization into standard educational requirements.

HB 471 revises education laws concerning human sexuality and identity instruction in public schools, impacting students, parents, and school districts. The bill requires written parental or guardian permission for a child to attend "identity instruction" and allows parents to withdraw their child from "human sexuality instruction" as an excused absence. It mandates that schools provide advance notice to parents about these instructions and make all related curriculum materials publicly available for inspection. Additionally, the bill prohibits entities that provide abortion services from offering or furnishing materials for human sexuality or sexually transmitted disease instruction to students or personnel.