Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman VALERIE VAINIERI HUTTLE
District 37 (Bergen)
SYNOPSIS
Requires school districts to provide information to high school students on cancers of the reproductive system as part of health curriculum.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning the public school health curriculum and supplementing chapter 35 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Each board of education which operates an educational program for students in grades 9 through 12 shall provide information on strategies for the early detection and prevention of cancers of the reproductive system including breast cancer, ovarian cancer, cervical cancer, testicular cancer, and prostate cancer. The instruction shall take place as part of the district’s implementation of the New Jersey Student Learning Standards in Comprehensive Health and Physical Education.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill requires boards of education to provide information to high school students on the detection and prevention of cancers of the reproductive system, including breast cancer, ovarian cancer, cervical cancer, testicular cancer, and prostate cancer. The instruction will take place as part of the district’s implementation of the New Jersey Student Learning Standards in Comprehensive Health and Physical Education.
The New Jersey Student Learning Standards in Comprehensive Health and Physical Education currently require school districts to provide instruction on preventative healthcare strategies for both the male and female reproductive systems by the end of grade 12. However, while topics such as breast exams and testicular exams are widely discussed, many schools do not currently provide adequate information on the detection and prevention of other forms of cancer of the reproductive system such as ovarian cancer.