ACF Instructs California to Submit Sex-Ed Curricula for Review

Washington, D.C. — The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) sent a letter to California requesting curricula and programmatic materials for its federally funded Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP). 

Part of ACF’s adolescent pregnancy prevention programs, PREP is a $75 million per year program that teaches children about contraception and abstinence. The goal is to prevent adolescent pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. 

The request to California’s Department of Public Health is permitted under the terms and conditions of the state PREP grant, which allows ACF to request a grant recipient to submit curricula and programmatic materials to ACF’s Family and Youth Services Bureau for a medical accuracy review. 

“All grant recipients of federally funded PREP money are expected to comply with all statutory requirements of PREP, including ensuring the programs are medically accurate and complete, and the program provides age-appropriate information and activities,” said ACF Acting Assistant Secretary Andrew Gradison. “As part of our radical transparency efforts, I will ensure the curriculum students are taught is age-appropriate and medically accurate.” 

California’s Department of Public Health is being asked to submit its PREP curricula to ACF’s Family and Youth Services Bureau within three days. ACF will ensure it is medically accurate and age-appropriate. 

The letter from ACF to California can be read here (PDF).