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North Dakota

State Information

State Policy Information

State Sex Education Policies and Requirements at a Glance

North Dakota schools are required to teach sex education through its health education course. Health education must be in alignment with North Dakota Health Education Content Standards.

  • Curriculum must be abstinence-based.
  • Curriculum is not required to include instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity. However, the North Dakota Health Education Content Standards includes discussion of sexual orientation in their definition of sexuality. 
  • Curriculum is not required to include instruction on consent. 
  • North Dakota statute has no standard regarding the ability of parents and guardians to remove their children from sex education instruction.
  • North Dakota has no regulation regarding medically accurate sex education instruction.

State Law

As a result of North Dakota Century Code Title 15.1-21-24, beginning July 1, 2012, every school district, both public and non-public, is required to include instruction on abstinence in its health education curriculum. Each school district needs to ensure that the portion of its health curriculum related to sexual health includes instruction pertaining to “the risks associated with adolescent sexual activity and the social, psychological, and physical health gains to be realized by abstaining from sexual activity before and outside of marriage.”

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/north-dakota-state-profile-23/

Health Standards

State Standards

The North Dakota Health Education Content Standards, published by the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction, establish benchmarks for health instruction at all grade levels. For example, in grades 3-5, students are expected to be able to “Explain the stages of social, emotional, physical, and mental growth and development in humans from infancy to late adulthood,” including puberty. The standards address “sexual behavior” beginning in grade 6. The alignment of a school district’s health curriculum with the 2018 North Dakota Health Education Content Standards is intended to be used as assurance that schools are in compliance with the law.

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/north-dakota-state-profile-23/

Organizations