Alaska State of Sex Ed
Sex education is not required, nor is HIV/STI education. Some age-appropriate healthy relationships education is required through required health education, but not consent. No state-level laws on any other aspects of sex education or HIV/STI education.
Current Requirement
- Alaska schools are not required to teach sex education.
- Alaska has no standard regarding abstinence instruction in sex education.
- Alaska has no regulation regarding medically accurate sex education instruction.
- However, if sex ed is taught, it must align with Content and Performance Standards for Alaska Students, which stipulates that students “understand the physical and behavioral characteristics of human sexual development and maturity.”
- Curriculum is not required to include instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity. However, the Content and Performance Standards for Alaska Students suggest that students should be able to comprehend major developments related to class, ethnicity, race, and gender.
- Curriculum is not required to include instruction on consent.
- Sex education curriculum must be available for review by parents or guardians, and they are allowed to remove their children from any activity, class, or program. Parents or guardians may submit a written request to remove their children from instruction on teen dating violence and abuse. This is referred to as an “opt-out” policy.
RECENT LEGISLATION SHAPING THE STATE LANDSCAPE
Advocates regularly face uphill battles in advancing sex education in Alaska, routinely working to advance sex education that is age-appropriate and medically accurate. In 2022, Senator Elvi Gray-Jackson (D-I) introduced Senate Bill 157, which would require sexual health education to be a component of health and personal safety curriculum for K-12 schools. This was the first time in years that advocates have had a positive bill to advocate for. Although ultimately unsuccessful, it continues to be reintroduced, most recently as Senate Bill 101 (2025).
Various regressive pieces of legislation have been introduced in Alaska over the last several years, all focused on restricting inclusive school programs by weaponizing “parental rights” and increasing oversight. In 2022, Senate Bill 196 and House Bill 342, both aimed to increase the accessibility of all school curricula to the public. Further examples of more hostile “parental rights” bills include 2024’s House Bill 105 and Senate Bill 96, which were unsuccessful. This legislation would have required written parental permission for students to receive education on gender, sexual health education, or to use preferred pronouns. All of these attempts add to potential risks to students, requiring school administrators and faculty to potentially “out” students to their parents, and complicate access to sex education.
In 2023, Alaska passed House Bill 183, which bars trans and non-binary students from playing on teams aligned with their gender identity. The fight for comprehensive sex education is closely linked with the fight for LGBTQIA+ rights, public education must reflect and support all students, including transgender and non-binary youth. During the 2024 legislative session, legislators introduced House Bill 105 and Senate Bill 96 – both of which ultimately failed – that sought to ban transgender students from using bathrooms that match their gender identity, require written parental permission for any instruction related to gender identity, mandate notification and consent when a student requests to use new pronouns and allow for parents to pursue legal action if these rights are violated. These proposals would have added unnecessary barriers through excessive consent procedures, instructional material review, and advance notifications. Sex education advocates in Alaska emphasize the need for inclusive, affirming environments for transgender students, recognizing that access to supportive spaces is critical to their well-being. These bills highlight just one of many challenges advocates face in Alaska’s current legislative climate.
Since Alaska schools are not currently required to provide sex education, school districts are left to decide what type of sex education–if any at all–they provide to youth. Local control over sex education presents unique challenges that have resulted in a glaring disparity regarding the quality of sex education that students receive. Such discretion allows for the implementation of policies and curriculum that stigmatize marginalized youth, such as students of color and LGBTQAI+ youth, and presents further challenges in ensuring that low-income districts have access to the resources needed to implement sex education. As a result, students who live in rural communities are more likely to feel the impact of inadequate sex education.
Right now, advocates can take action in their communities to address the need for sex education policy and ensure every student in Alaska schools has access to comprehensive education. They can contact their local board of education and determine what actions are needed for their specific community. Advocates can then vocalize the importance of implementing specific elements of sex education, such as trauma-informed, culturally responsive curriculum that addresses the needs of youth of color and LGBTQIA+ youth, or medically accurate instruction on contraceptives, healthy relationships, and consent. Advocates are encouraged to take action on pending legislation that seeks to advance or restrict the principles of sex education. Alaska’s 2025-2026 legislative session convened January 21st, 2025, and is expected to adjourn on May 20th, 2026.
Further, advocates can contact their representatives to discuss the critical need for a statewide sex education mandate. Advocates are encouraged to use the SIECUS Community Action Toolkit to guide local efforts to advance sex education. For more information on getting involved in local and state advocacy for sex education, reach out to our State Policy Action Manager, Miranda Estes (mestes@siecus.org)
More on sex ed in Alaska…
State Law: A Closer Look…
Alaska does not have a statute that requires sexuality or STI education. However, AS 14.30.360 states that “each district in the state public school system shall be encouraged to initiate and conduct a program in health education for kindergarten through grade 12” and “should include instruction in physical health and personal safety including … the identification and prevention of child abuse, … sexual abuse, and domestic violence, and appropriate use of health services.” Alaska state law does not specify any parental permission for students to participate in sex education or education of HIV/AIDS.
Since 2016, AS 14.30.361 has required that “a person may only teach a class or program in sex education, human reproduction education, or human sexuality education if the person possesses a valid teacher certificate … and is employed under contract with the school or is supervised [by such person].” Additionally, “before curriculum, literature, or materials related to sex education, human reproduction education, or human sexuality education may be used in a class or program or distributed in a school, the curriculum, literature, or material must be approved by the school board and [be] available for parents to review.”AS.14.30.355 requires each school district to establish a training program for employees and students, and provide parent notices related to sexual abuse and sexual assault awareness and prevention for students enrolled in grades K-12. Similarly, AS. 14.30.356 requires each school district to develop and approve a program relating to teen dating violence and abuse awareness and prevention for grades 7-12. This program must:
- Include training for employees and students;
- Provide parent notices, and
- Be reviewed by a qualified individual or committee for consistency with generally accepted standards for a teen dating violence and abuse awareness and prevention program.
- The training, notices, and instruction adopted must include:
- Age appropriate information;
- The warning signs of dating violence and abusive behavior;
- Characteristics of healthy relationships;
- Measures to prevent and stop dating violence and abuse;
- Community resources available to victims of dating violence and abuse; and
- A procedure allowing a student to be excused from participating in training at the written request of a parent or guardian. This is referred to as an “opt-out” policy.
State Standards
Alaska provides curriculum standards for schools to follow if they choose to provide sex education. The “Skills for a Healthy Life” section of the Content and Performance Standards for Alaska Students, provided by the Department of Education and Early Development, recommends that students should “understand the physical and behavioral characteristics of human sexual development and maturity…develop an awareness of how personal life roles are affected by and contribute to the well-being of families, communities, and cultures… understand how respect for the rights of self and others contributes to relationships…” and take responsible actions to create safe and healthy environments.”
Youth Sexual Health Data
Young people are more than their health behaviors and outcomes. While data can be a powerful tool to demonstrate the sex education and sexual health care needs of young people, it is important to be mindful that these behaviors and outcomes are impacted by systemic inequities present in our society that affect an individual’s sexual health and well-being. In recent years, there has been an increase in legislative attacks on the implementation of CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) which tracks six categories of health risk behaviors including sexual health behaviors. To learn more about Alaska’s 2023 YRBS results, click here.
Alaska School Health Profiles Data
In 2024, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released the 2022 School Health Profiles, which measure school health policies and practices and highlight which health topics were taught in schools across the country. Since the data were collected from self-administered questionnaires completed by schools’ principals and lead health education teachers, the CDC notes that one limitation of the School Health Profiles is bias toward the reporting of more positive policies and practices. In the School Health Profiles, the CDC identifies 22 sexual health education topics as critical for ensuring a young person’s sexual health. To view Alaska’s results from the 2022 School Health Profiles Survey, visit CDC’s School Health Profiles Explorer tool.
Visit the CDC’s School Health Profiles for additional information on school health policies and practices. The quality of sex education taught often reflects funding available for sex education programs. To learn more about federal funding streams, click here.