Draft of new academic health standards asks 3rd graders to understand ‘gender identity’

A newly released draft of Minnesota’s proposed academic health standards for K-12 students asks third graders to understand “gender identity.”

According to state law, the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) is tasked with developing statewide academic standards in a variety of disciplines including language arts, mathematics, social studies, and science. Every 10 years, MDE revises and updates those academic standards on a staggered schedule.

In 2024, Democrats in control of state government created a new discipline for which MDE must develop statewide standards: health. Currently, the state agency is in the process of creating health academic standards which will be reviewed and updated every 10 years.

Those standards are being written by the Health Standards review committee, a group that includes parents, students, teachers, administrators, college professors, school board members, and others. Committee members are appointed by the MDE commissioner.

Now, that committee has published its second draft of the K-12 Academic Standards for Health. Those standards outline many different “benchmarks” that students are supposed to achieve in their respective grade levels.

Under the draft standards, third graders would be asked to “Define gender identity and expression” and “Describe internal and external reproductive body parts using medically accurate terms in a gender-neutral way.”

Additionally, third graders would be required to “Describe consent and its importance in all relationships” and “Explain the difference between sex assigned at birth and gender identity and expression.”

Similar benchmarks exist throughout the standards at different grade levels. For example, fifth graders would be required to “Describe the differences between sexual orientation, and gender identity and expression” and “Define sexual orientation including sense of identity, attractions and related behaviors.”

In addition to the benchmarks on “gender identity” and other related topics, the standards contain requirements about understanding various substances.

Kindergartners would be asked to “Identify family rules about avoiding nicotine use,” first graders would have to “Describe the benefits of not using tobacco and nicotine products,” second graders would be asked to “Describe the environmental impacts of nicotine product waste,” and fifth graders would have to “State personal beliefs about the risks related to alcohol and other substance use.”

MDE is now requesting feedback from Minnesotans on the second draft of the health academic standards via a survey which can be found here.

That survey will be open through July 18 for Minnesotans to voice their input. After those comments are collected, a third draft of the standards will be published later this year.

New K-12 academic health standards, whatever their final form, will ultimately be implemented following a rule-making/public comment period in 2026.

Luke Sprinkel

Luke Sprinkel previously worked as a Legislative Assistant at the Minnesota House of Representatives. He grew up as a Missionary Kid (MK) living in England, Thailand, Tanzania, and the Middle East. Luke graduated from Regent University in 2018.