(A) Before August 1, 1988, the board, through the department, shall select or develop an instructional unit with separate components addressing the subjects of reproductive health education, family life education, pregnancy prevention education, and sexually transmitted diseases and make the instructional unit available to local school districts. The board, through the department, also shall make available information about other programs developed by other states upon request of a local school district.

(B) In addition to the provisions of subsection (A), before September 1, 2015, the board, through the department, shall select or develop instructional units in sexual abuse and assault awareness and prevention, with separate units appropriate for each age level from four-year-old kindergarten through twelfth grade.

Terms Used In South Carolina Code 59-32-20

  • Board: means the State Board of Education. See South Carolina Code 59-32-10
  • Department: means the State Department of Education. See South Carolina Code 59-32-10
  • Family life education: means instruction intended to:

    (a) develop an understanding of the physical, mental, emotional, social, economic, and psychological aspects of close personal relationships and an understanding of the physiological, psychological, and cultural foundations of human development;

    (b) provide instruction that will support the development of responsible personal values and behavior and aid in establishing a strong family life for themselves in the future and emphasize the responsibilities of marriage. See South Carolina Code 59-32-10
  • Pregnancy prevention education: means instruction intended to:

    (a) stress the importance of abstaining from sexual activity until marriage;

    (b) help students develop skills to enable them to resist peer pressure and abstain from sexual activity;

    (c) explain methods of contraception and the risks and benefits of each method. See South Carolina Code 59-32-10
  • Reproductive health education: means instruction in human physiology, conception, prenatal care and development, childbirth, and postnatal care, but does not include instruction concerning sexual practices outside marriage or practices unrelated to reproduction except within the context of the risk of disease. See South Carolina Code 59-32-10

(C) Before August 1, 2018, and through the cyclical review process, if deemed necessary, the board shall include instruction on prescription opioid abuse prevention, with an emphasis on the prescription drug epidemic and the connection between opioid abuse and addiction to other drugs, such as heroin, in the health standards. In addition, the board shall make available to districts a list of instructional materials that meet state standards. Districts shall continue to adopt or develop curriculum locally.

(D) At the next cyclical review of the health standards, the board shall continue to revise existing age-appropriate standards and concepts that address mental, emotional, and social health.