HD45 - Teenage Pregnancy Prevention (Pursuant to HJR 280)

  • Published: 1988
  • Author: General Assembly. Joint Subcommittee
  • Enabling Authority: House Joint Resolution 280 (Regular Session, 1987)

Executive Summary:
The Joint Subcommittee Studying Teenage Pregnancy Prevention was established initially by the 1986 General Assembly via House Joint Resolution No. 61, which requested that the Joint Subcommittee study the problem of teenage pregnancy in Virginia and develop recommendations to reduce the incidence of teenage pregnancy.

At the conclusion of the first year of its study, the Joint Subcommittee recommended the introduction of several measures to the 1987 Session of the General Assembly. They were House Bill 1413, Family Life Education; H.J.R. 278, coordination of employment and training for at-risk youth; H.J.R. 279, coordination of teacher preparation courses in family life education at the ·collegiate level; H.J.R. 280, continuation of the Joint Subcommittee's study; and H.J.R. 281, work-study and training opportunities for teenage parents and other at-risk youth. Given the Board of Education's strong opinion that it should be granted the opportunity to consider whether to mandate the program in lieu of a legislative mandate, House Bill 1413 was amended to require the "Board of Education to develop standards of learning and curriculum guidelines for a comprehensive and sequential family life education program, in the public schools for grades K-12.tt The bill required that the program provide instruction that is age appropriate for the student on family living and community relationships, the value of postponing sexual activity, human sexuality, human reproduction, and the etiology, prevention and effects of sexually transmitted diseases. All such instruction was required to be designed to promote parental involvement, foster positive self concept and to provide mechanisms for coping with peer pressure and the stresses of modern living. The Board also was required to establish requirements for appropriate training for family life educators by December 1, 1987. In addition, the Board was required to analyze the fiscal impact of implementing a mandatory statewide family life education program, recommend an apportionment of state and local funding for such programs, if not otherwise determined by law, and provide such data to the House Committee on Appropriations and the Senate Committee on Finance by December 1, 1987. All of the measures which were recommended by the Joint Subcommittee were passed.

With the passage of House Joint Resolution No. 280, the study was continued by the 1987 General Assembly for one year. The Joint Subcommittee was directed to review and to include in its deliberations, among other issues, the following:

• Full-time nurses in schools and school health care procedure;
• Character education programs in grades K-12 in public schools;
• Coordinated family planning counseling for teenagers and disadvantaged youth;
• Establishing hot-lines for information for teenagers;
• Advertising practices pertaining to sexual information;
• Roles of state, municipal and community organizations in family planning education programs and services;
• Notification requirements pertaining to abortion and contraceptives; and
• Counseling of teenage parents and information on child support enforcement.

The membership of the Joint Subcommittee remained as originally appointed. Delegate Joan H. Munford and Senator Elliot S. Schewel continued to serve as Chairman and Vice Chairman, respectively.