Bill > HB471

This bill amends Montana education laws to increase parental control and transparency regarding human sexuality and identity instruction in schools. The legislation requires schools to obtain written parental permission before a child can attend "identity instruction" (defined as lessons exploring gender identity, gender expression, or sexual orientation) and mandates that schools provide parents with advance notice of at least 5 but no more than 14 school days before introducing human sexuality or identity instructional materials. Schools must now annually notify parents about the content of sexuality and identity instruction, provide an option to review curriculum materials, and give parents the right to withdraw their child from such instruction. The bill also requires schools to make curriculum materials publicly available for inspection, create an annual summary of health enhancement curriculum, and prohibits abortion service providers from offering sexuality-related instruction. If school trustees find that an individual has knowingly or repeatedly violated these provisions, they must report such findings to the Board of Public Education. Importantly, the bill clarifies that spontaneous teacher responses to unexpected student inquiries about these topics are not considered "instruction" under the law. The changes will take effect on July 1, 2025.

Education, Justice

https://bills.legmt.gov/#/laws/bill/2/LC1273