State Profiles

Current Requirement

• Nevada schools must teach sex education.
  • State law has no standard regarding instruction on abstinence. 
• Curriculum is not required to include instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity. 
• Curriculum is not required to include instruction on consent. 
• Required state standards require instruction on sex education and HIV/AIDS education must be evidence-based.
  • Instruction must include education on consent, healthy relationships, contraception, and pregnancy options. 
• Parents must provide written consent for their children to participate in human sexuality education. This is referred to as an “opt-in” policy.

RECENT LEGISLATION SHAPING THE STATE LANDSCAPE

Advocates have actively worked to advance sex education in Nevada at the state and local level over the past several years, celebrating numerous successes and continuing to work to expand access for students. Currently, Assembly Bill 205 was introduced earlier this year, passed both chambers of the legislature, before ultimately being vetoed. This bill would have shifted sex ed from opt in to opt out, expanding student access. Parents would be notified no more than four weeks before the course or no later than four weeks after the start of the school year (whichever comes first). In 2023, Nevada saw a similar attempt to shift sex education to opt-out; Assembly Bill 357 progressed to Governor Joe Lombardo but the bill was vetoed. If enacted, it would have implemented opt-out sex education, as well as added instruction on puberty, pregnancy, parenting, body image, gender stereotypes, contraceptives, violence prevention, and healthy relationships to required sexuality education topics, while also stressing abstinence. AB 357 would have also required sex education to be evidence-based, factual, age-appropriate, and inclusive of all students, regardless of race, gender, gender identity or expression, religion, sexual orientation, ethnic or cultural background or disability.

 The 2023 legislative session also included the passage of Senate Bill 439, thanks to the work of sex education advocates and NV legislators. As a result, health insurance plans must provide coverage for STI testing and treatment regardless of age, and unrestricted coverage of condoms for people 13 and older. 

Other curriculum-focused legislation in 2025 includes Assembly Bill 464, which would have originally required health and science education standards to be evidence-based, among other required updates to standards. As of April 2025, this requirement was removed, however, the new bill text strengthens the implementation of sex education, and prohibits the state board from repealing or refusing to enforce instruction on the human reproductive system, as well as other topics such as historical genocides, and other ethnicities. It also prohibits teachers from refusing to enforce state content and performance standards related to topics related to the above. 

Advocates report that despite required standards and statute, students sometimes fail to receive any sex education at all and that abstinence-only proponents are occasionally invited into schools to give abstinence-only until marriage instruction. It has also been reported that instructors often lack access to training on teaching topics related to human sexuality, highlighting the need for further investment in educator training to ensure they are supported in providing medically accurate instruction. Despite the numerous barriers to sex education, advocates report that many people already think sex education is mandated for all students in Nevada schools. Such lack of awareness deters further action to improve sex education requirements at the state and local level.

Right now, advocates can take action in their communities to address misinformation about Nevada’s sex education requirements. They can contact their local board of education and advocate for policies that increase student access, such as opt-out. 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 evidence-based criteria for 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.  Nevada’s 2025 legislative session convened February 3rd, 2025, and is expected to adjourn on June 2nd, 2025.

Further, advocates can contact their representatives to discuss the critical need for a statewide sex education mandate. Advocates are encouraged to use the 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 Nevada…

State Law: A Closer Look

Nevada Revised Statutes § 389.036 mandates that each school district’s board of trustees “shall establish a course or unit of a course of”:

• Factual instruction concerning acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS); and
• Instruction on the human reproductive system, related communicable diseases, and sexual responsibility.

The subjects of the courses may be taught only by a teacher or school nurse whose qualifications have been previously approved by the board of trustees. Furthermore, each board of trustees must appoint an advisory committee to advise on course content, age appropriateness, and instructional materials. Advisory committees shall consist of five parents who have children in the school district and four representatives from the medicine, counseling, religion, student, or teaching communities.

Nevada law also requires that, “the parent or guardian of each pupil to whom a course is offered must first be given written notice that the course will be offered. The notice must be given in the usual manner used by the local district to transmit written material to parents, and must contain a form for the signature of the parent or guardian of the pupil consenting to his attendance. Upon receipt of the written consent of the parent or guardian, the pupil may attend the course. If the written consent of the parent or guardian is not received, he must be excused from such attendance without any penalty as to credits or academic standing.” This is referred to as an “opt-in” policy. “Opt-in” policies unnecessarily create further administrative burden in enrolling students in sex education by requiring written parental consent prior to students receiving sex education. This can severely restrict how many students are able to receive instruction.

State Standards

As of the 2022 – 2023 school year, all school districts are expected to fully implement the 2020 Nevada Academic Content Standards (NVACS) for Health, created by the Nevada Department of Education. These characterize what students should know by the end of each grade, and include required educational outcomes on given topics. The NVACS instructs that HIV/AIDS instruction must be evidence-based, and required topics include consent, healthy relationships, contraception, abstinence, and laws related to “pregnancy, abortion, adoption, and parenting.”

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 Nevada’s 2023 YRBS results, click here.

Nevada 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 Nevada’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.