School districts allowed to implement local health education standards.

A bill for an act

relating to education; allowing school districts to implement local health education

standards; amending Minnesota Statutes 2024, sections 120B.018, subdivision 6;

120B.021, subdivisions 1, 4; 120B.024, subdivision 1.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 120B.018, subdivision 6, is amended to read:

Subd. 6.

Required standard.

new text begin
(a)
new text end
"Required standard" means
new text begin
:
new text end

new text begin

(1)
new text end
a statewide adopted expectation for student learning in the content areas of language

arts, mathematics, science, social studies, physical education, health, and the arts
new text begin
; or
new text end

new text begin

(2) a locally adopted expectation for student learning in health
new text end
.

new text begin

(b)
new text end
Locally developed academic standards in health apply until statewide rules

implementing statewide health standards under section
120B.021, subdivision
3, are
deleted text begin
required
deleted text end
new text begin

available
new text end
to be implemented in the classroom.
new text begin
When statewide health standards become

available, a school district must determine whether to implement the statewide or locally

developed health standards.
new text end

new text begin

EFFECTIVE DATE.

new text end

new text begin

This section is effective July 1, 2025.

new text end

Sec. 2.

Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 120B.021, subdivision 1, is amended to read:

Subdivision 1.

Required academic standards.

(a) The following subject areas are

required for statewide accountability:

(1) language arts;

(2) mathematics, encompassing algebra II, integrated mathematics III, or an equivalent

in high school, and to be prepared for the three credits of mathematics in grades 9 through

12, the grade 8 standards include completion of algebra;

(3) science, including earth and space science, life science, and the physical sciences,

including chemistry and physics;

(4) social studies, including history, geography, economics, and government and

citizenship that includes civics;

(5) physical education;

(6) health
new text begin
, for which statewide or locally developed academic standards apply, as

determined by the school district
new text end
; and

(7) the arts. Public elementary and middle schools must offer at least three and require

at least two of the following five arts areas: dance; media arts; music; theater; and visual

arts. Public high schools must offer at least three and require at least one of the following

five arts areas: media arts; dance; music; theater; and visual arts.

(b) For purposes of applicable federal law, the academic standards for language arts,

mathematics, and science apply to all public school students, except the very few students

with extreme cognitive or physical impairments for whom an individualized education

program team has determined that the required academic standards are inappropriate. An

individualized education program team that makes this determination must establish

alternative standards.

(c) A school district may include child sexual abuse prevention instruction in a health

curriculum, consistent with paragraph (a), clause (6). Child sexual abuse prevention

instruction may include age-appropriate instruction on recognizing sexual abuse and assault,

boundary violations, and ways offenders groom or desensitize victims, as well as strategies

to promote disclosure, reduce self-blame, and mobilize bystanders. A school district may

provide instruction under this paragraph in a variety of ways, including at an annual assembly

or classroom presentation. A school district may also provide parents information on the

warning signs of child sexual abuse and available resources.

(d) District efforts to develop, implement, or improve instruction or curriculum as a

result of the provisions of this section must be consistent with sections
120B.10
,
120B.11
,

and
120B.20
.

(e)
new text begin
A school district must implement
new text end
locally developed academic standards in health
deleted text begin

apply
deleted text end
until statewide rules implementing statewide health standards under subdivision 3

are
deleted text begin
required
deleted text end
new text begin
available
new text end
to be implemented in the classroom.
new text begin
When statewide health standards

become available, a school district must determine whether to implement the statewide or

locally developed health standards.
new text end

new text begin

EFFECTIVE DATE.

new text end

new text begin

This section is effective July 1, 2025.

new text end

Sec. 3.

Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 120B.021, subdivision 4, is amended to read:

Subd. 4.

Revisions and reviews required.

(a) The commissioner of education must

revise the state's academic standards and graduation requirements and implement a ten-year

cycle to review and, consistent with the review, revise state academic standards and related

benchmarks, consistent with this subdivision. During each ten-year review and revision

cycle, the commissioner also must examine the alignment of each required academic standard

and related benchmark with the knowledge and skills students need for career and college

readiness and advanced work in the particular subject area. The commissioner must include

the contributions of Minnesota American Indian Tribes and communities, including urban

Indigenous communities, as related to the academic standards during the review and revision

of the required academic standards. The commissioner must embed Indigenous education

for all students consistent with recommendations from Tribal Nations and urban Indigenous

communities in Minnesota regarding the contributions of American Indian Tribes and

communities in Minnesota into the state's academic standards during the review and revision

of the required academic standards. The recommendations to embed Indigenous education

for all students includes but is not limited to American Indian experiences in Minnesota,

including Tribal histories, Indigenous languages, sovereignty issues, cultures, treaty rights,

governments, socioeconomic experiences, contemporary issues, and current events.

(b) The commissioner must ensure that the statewide mathematics assessments

administered to students in grades 3 through 8 and 11 are aligned with the state academic

standards in mathematics, consistent with section
120B.302
, subdivision 3, paragraph (a).

The commissioner must implement a review of the academic standards and related

benchmarks in mathematics beginning in the 2021-2022 school year and every ten years

thereafter.

(c) The commissioner must implement a review of the academic standards and related

benchmarks in arts beginning in the 2017-2018 school year and every ten years thereafter.

(d) The commissioner must implement a review of the academic standards and related

benchmarks in science beginning in the 2018-2019 school year and every ten years thereafter.

(e) The commissioner must implement a review of the academic standards and related

benchmarks in language arts beginning in the 2019-2020 school year and every ten years

thereafter.

(f) The commissioner must implement a review of the academic standards and related

benchmarks in social studies beginning in the 2020-2021 school year and every ten years

thereafter.

(g) The commissioner must implement a review of the academic standards and related

benchmarks in physical education beginning in the 2026-2027 school year and every ten

years thereafter.

(h) The commissioner must implement a review of the academic standards and related

benchmarks in health education beginning in the 2034-2035 school year and every ten years

thereafter.

(i) School districts and charter schools must revise and align local academic standards

and high school graduation requirements in world languages and career and technical

education to require students to complete the revised standards beginning in a school year

determined by the school district or charter school. School districts and charter schools must

formally establish a periodic review cycle for the academic standards and related benchmarks

in world languages and career and technical education.
new text begin
School districts and charter schools

implementing local standards in health education must revise and align the local standards

and high school graduation requirements in health education to require students to complete

the revised standards in a school year determined by the school district or charter school,

and must formally establish a periodic review cycle for the health standards and related

benchmarks.
new text end

(j) The commissioner of education must embed technology and information literacy

standards consistent with recommendations from school media specialists into the state's

academic standards and graduation requirements.

(k) The commissioner of education must embed ethnic studies as related to the academic

standards during the review and revision of the required academic standards.

new text begin

EFFECTIVE DATE.

new text end

new text begin

This section is effective July 1, 2025.

new text end

Sec. 4.

Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 120B.024, subdivision 1, is amended to read:

Subdivision 1.

Graduation requirements.

(a) Students must successfully complete the

following high school level credits for graduation:

(1) four credits of language arts sufficient to satisfy all of the academic standards in

English language arts;

(2) three credits of mathematics sufficient to satisfy all of the academic standards in

mathematics;

(3) three credits of science, including one credit to satisfy all the earth and space science

standards for grades 9 through 12, one credit to satisfy all the life science standards for

grades 9 through 12, and one credit to satisfy all the chemistry or physics standards for

grades 9 through 12;

(4) three and one-half credits of social studies, including credit for a course in government

and citizenship in either grade 11 or 12 for students beginning grade 9 in the 2025-2026

school year and later or an advanced placement, international baccalaureate, or other rigorous

course on government and citizenship under section
120B.021, subdivision
1a, and a

combination of other credits encompassing at least United States history, geography,

government and citizenship, world history, and economics sufficient to satisfy all of the

academic standards in social studies;

(5) one credit of the arts sufficient to satisfy all of the academic standards in the arts;

(6) credit sufficient to satisfy the state standards in physical education;

(7) credits sufficient to satisfy
new text begin
either locally adopted standards in health education or
new text end

the state standards in health upon adoption of statewide rules for implementing health

standards under section
120B.021
; and

(8) a minimum of seven elective credits.

(b) Students who begin grade 9 in the 2024-2025 school year and later must successfully

complete a course for credit in personal finance in grade 10, 11, or 12. A teacher of a personal

finance course that satisfies the graduation requirement must have a field license or

out-of-field permission in agricultural education, business, family and consumer science,

social studies, or math.

new text begin

EFFECTIVE DATE.

new text end

new text begin

This section is effective July 1, 2025.

new text end