Sponsors (23)
Prohibits use of certain federal K–12 education funds for programs or materials for minors that include "sexually oriented material," including content involving transgenderism.
Official title: To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to prohibit the use of funds provided under such Act to develop, implement, facilitate, host, or promote any program or activity for, or to provide or promote literature or other materials to, children under the age of 18 that includes sexually oriented material, and for other purposes.
Introduced February 24, 2026 by Mary E. Miller · Last progress February 24, 2026
The bill increases protections against explicit sexual content in federally funded programs and funds safety training, but it also restricts LGBTQ+–related education and creates curricular uncertainty and compliance burdens for schools, trading broader content limitations and administrative costs for more conservative content standards and targeted safety initiatives.
Students and school staff can use federally funded programs to receive safety training that teaches recognition of sexual trafficking and grooming through real-world criminal examples.
Students under 18 are protected from exposure to explicit sexual content in programs funded by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).
Students, teachers, and schools can continue to teach standard science subjects (e.g., biology, anatomy) without risk of losing ESEA funding under the bill's rules.
Students—particularly LGBTQ+ youth—may lose access to age-appropriate LGBTQ+ health, identity, and related supportive education because the bill broadly prohibits such content.
Teachers, schools, and families may face uncertainty, self-censorship, or restrictions when covering gender identity topics because the bill defines 'sexually oriented material' to include material involving gender dysphoria or transgenderism.
School districts—especially low-income districts that rely on federal ESEA funds—could incur administrative burdens and risk funding compliance, diverting staff time and money away from instruction and services.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Prohibits use of federal elementary and secondary education funds for programs, materials, or activities for anyone under 18 that include "sexually oriented material," including exposure to nude adults, stripping, or lewd dancing, and materials that involve gender dysphoria or transgenderism. Preserves use of funds for specified academic courses, classic literature and art, religious texts, and efforts to address child sexual trafficking or grooming, including real-world criminal-law examples. Defines key terms, lists specific classic works of literature and art covered, and ties the definition of "sexually oriented material" to certain federal obscenity/sexual exploitation provisions. The restriction applies to programs funded under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act provision referenced in current law.