Does the law require teachers providing sex education and HIV/STD instruction to be trained?
Yes. Mandated HIV/AIDS prevention education shall be taught by instructors trained in the appropriate courses. If school districts choose to teach comprehensive sexual health education, this subject shall also be taught by instructors trained in the appropriate courses. EC Section 51931(e) defines “instructors trained in the appropriate courses” as: “instructors with knowledge of the most recent medically accurate research on human sexuality, pregnancy, and STDs.” In addition, school districts shall provide periodic training to teachers providing HIV/AIDS prevention education to enable them to learn about new developments in the scientific understanding of HIV/AIDS. Teachers with a demonstrated expertise in the field or who have received training from the CDE or the CDC need not receive additional training from their district. School districts may expand the training they provide to include the topic of comprehensive sexual health education.
