Italy has revised its guidelines for sex education in schools
Italy has finally passed a law giving parents the right to prohibit their children from attending sex education classes and activities. Schools are now required to notify families in advance about such sessions and obtain their consent.
The decision has already sparked heated debate in the country. Supporters of the law cite parents’ right to control their children’s upbringing, while critics fear that students will receive even less important information about health and relationships.
The new rules were initiated by Italian Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara and supported by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government. From now on, no student will be able to participate in sex education programs without parental consent.
In addition, schools are required to notify families at least one week in advance about such lessons or events. Parents must receive information not only about the topic of the sessions but also about the organization or experts who will be conducting them. In effect, families will now be able to review the program’s content in advance and decide whether their child will participate in such sessions.
A separate provision of the law concerns the youngest students. The document stipulates that sex education topics will not be taught in kindergartens or elementary schools.
The government explains this by its desire to take children’s ages into account and to leave the key role in such matters specifically to parents. According to the reform’s authors, the family should remain the primary source of knowledge for children regarding personal life and upbringing.
After the law was passed, Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara stated that the main goal of the reform is to strengthen the role of parents. According to him, the state must respect families’ right to participate in decisions regarding the upbringing of children. The minister also stated that the new rules would help protect children from what he called “gender propaganda.”
“We are restoring to parents the right to be the primary educators of their children,” Valditara emphasized after the vote. It was this part of his statement that became one of the most discussed in the country.
Opposition parties and some educators have criticized the new rules. They believe that schools should not only teach math or history but also provide teenagers with knowledge about health, safe relationships, and responsibility. One of the opposition leaders, Angelo Bonelli, stated that education should not depend on individual permits for each subject. “If we go down this path, soon we’ll have to ask for permission even for history or literature classes,” the politician said. Critics also point out that the country already pays insufficient attention to sex education for young people.
In contrast, conservative and Catholic civic organizations welcomed the parliament’s decision. They believe that parents have every right to know exactly what is being taught to their children in school. In their view, the new law makes the education system more transparent and helps avoid conflicts between schools and families.
Supporters of the changes also emphasize that many programs in recent years have sparked debate over topics such as gender identity, sexual orientation, and modern family models. That is why, they say, parents should be able to decide for themselves whether their children are ready for such discussions.
What makes the situation unique is that Italy remains one of the few countries in Europe where sex education is not a mandatory part of the curriculum. In many EU countries, such lessons have long been part of school education and are taught at various age levels.
According to a 2025 study, only 47% of Italian teenagers reported receiving such education in school. Because of this, critics of the law fear that children’s access to information about health, safe behavior, and personal boundaries may be further restricted.
The debate surrounding the new law has long extended beyond the realm of school education. For some, it is a matter of parental rights and the freedom to raise children. For others, it is a matter of young people’s access to vital information about their own health and safe relationships.
That is precisely why the reform has already become one of the most talked-about educational topics in Italy this year. And it seems that the controversy surrounding it will continue long after the law takes effect.
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