State Sex Education Policies and Requirements at a Glance
Schools in Puerto Rico are required to teach sex education.
- Curriculum is not required to be comprehensive.
- Curriculum is not required to include instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity.
- Curriculum is not required to include instruction on consent.
- Puerto Rico does not require parental permission for students to participate in sex education, and statute does not entail whether or not parents and guardians can remove their children from sex education courses.
- Puerto Rico has no regulation regarding medically accurate sex education.
Puerto Rico Law
Puerto Rico’s Title 3 Chapter 9A subchapter III § 144c-d requires schools to implement sex education programs for students. These programs shall “emphasize the physiological and emotional aspects of sexual relations, as well as the family responsibilities related thereto, and the risks entailed as a result of these relationships.” Additionally, the law states that schools shall “provide information and orientation to the students on the sexual development of human beings; family relations; problems of adolescence; personal finances; and on any other topics that the school or the Secretary deem are pertinent.” Puerto Rico does not require parental permission for students to participate in sexuality or HIV/AIDS education, nor does it say whether parents or guardians may remove their children from such classes.
State Profiles provided by SIECUS: Sex Ed for Social Change. For more information regarding your state’s sex ed policy, visit https://siecus.org/state_profile/puerto-rico-state-profile-23/
