Montana Office of Public Instruction

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The OPI’s Education Navigator

A support document for our Montana policymakers and leaders

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Superintendent Arntzen speaks to parental partnerships in education.

Montana has state content standards that are approved by the Board of Public Education. Curriculum in our Montana schools must align and adhere to these standards.

Many parents are concerned with the way human sexuality instruction is presented to their children in the classroom. Education must include a partnership with parents. Per §20-7-120, MCA (SB 99, 2021), parents have the right to advanced notice of what their children are scheduled to be taught about human sexuality and the right to refuse to allow their child to participate in any human sexuality instruction.

If a violation of §20-1-120, MCA is alleged an investigation must be completed and due process must be provided before disciplinary action is taken, if justified.

Chapter 53 of Montana’s Administrative Rules houses the content standards for K-12 education.

“Sex” is used seven times in the content standards, as follows:

• ARM 10.53.708 (Health Standards for Sixth through Eighth Grades): “analyzing behaviors that promote health enhancing strategies for issues such as substance abuse prevention, nutrition, sexual activity, exercise, injury and disease prevention, and stress management, including traditional and contemporary strategies from American Indian cultures.” (Last updated in 2016.)
• ARM 10.53.709 (Health Standards for Ninth through Twelfth Grades): the same as in ARM 10.53.708, plus “explaining fertilization, conception, and how the baby's sex and inherited traits are determined” and “comparing and contrasting how physical, mental, social, spiritual, and cultural factors influence attitudes about sexuality.” (Last updated in 2016.)
• ARM 10.53.809 (Science Content Standards for Sixth through Eighth Grades): “develop and use a model to describe why asexual reproduction results in offspring with identical genetic information and sexual reproduction results in offspring with genetic variation.” (Last updated 2016.)
• ARM 10.53.810 (Science Content Standards for Ninth through Twelfth Grades): “the heritable genetic variation of individuals in a species due to mutation and sexual reproduction.” (Last updated 2016.)

“Gender” is used only three times, all with the same phrasing, in ARM 10.53.410 (Language Standards), as follows: “recognize the influence time, culture, gender, and social relationships have upon word meaning.” (Last updated in 2011.)

 

 

 

Achieving Educational Excellence through Local Control

Our most precious resources, our children have been left behind. It is time to put our Montana students first and focus on a local control system that allows flexibility for innovation to achieve educational excellence. This is the system our students deserve and our future demands. We, the people, demand better for our children

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Superintendent Arntzen Announces 2022 Montana Teacher of the Year, William Stockton of Arlee.

Teacher of the Year

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On August 5th, the U.S. Department of Education approved Montana's ARP ESSER State Plan (submitted on June 7th). This action allows the OPI to begin transferring the remaining one-third of the ESSER III Fund balance to school districts. It also gives the OPI an approved roadmap for helping our great Montana schools use this large influx of Federal funding to innovate and improve instruction for our Montana students. Our plan recognizes local control, removes obstacles and barriers for schools, and enhances accountability without being overly burdensome.  

View ARP ESSER Plan

The ARP Act represents the third round of funding to come through the ESSER fund, and Montana's allocation totals more than $382,000,000. In previous rounds, Montana received more than $41,000,000 (ESSER I) and $170,000,000 (ESSER II). Through the Emergency Assistance to Non-Public Schools (EANS), the state also received nearly $20 million for home and private schools. Two-thirds of the ESSER III funding was already released to schools in May; now that USED has approved the State Plan, the OPI can begin releasing the remaining one-third, or roughly $126 million. The ESSER page shares all updates. If you have questions on ESSER, reach out to wendi.fawns@mt.gov.  

 

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