The state Senate has reworked a public school sex education bill from the House that had given parents the choice between two levels of explanation.
The measure for students in grades seven through nine was approved Wednesday by the Senate Mental Health and Youth Services Committee, the Associated Press reports.
It would require all school systems to offer curricula promoting sexual abstinence outside of marriage. Districts also would be required to offer an optional program focusing on the effectiveness of contraceptives and preventing sexually transmitted diseases.
Rep. Susan Fisher of Buncombe County is the sponsor of the House version of the bill. She says the House version would make it more likely for students to get more accurate information about sex.
The bill now goes to the full Senate.
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