Robert F. Kennedy Junior’s HHS has slammed California for teaching children as young as 10 about sex toys and role playing.
In a letter shown exclusively to DailyMail.com, the Department of Health and Human Services warned the state’s health agency it was not showing ‘age appropriate’ or ‘medically accurate’ materials to students.
In a statement, the HHS said it would ‘not tolerate’ the use of federal funds for programs that fail to meet its requirements.
The letter demanded California now send all materials used for sex ed in schools to the HHS for review prior to teaching.
In the materials, revealed to this website by HHS, instructors are told to teach students about ‘sexual aids (commonly called “sex toys” by youth)’.
They are also told to teach students about ‘role-plays that reflect the spectrum of sexual decision-making circumstances’ and to use ‘inclusive language’ and they/them/theirs pronouns rather than she/her/hers and he/him/his.
California has been given three business days to respond to the letter.
This is the latest action taken by the administration that targets California, with President Donald Trump and state Governor Gavin Newsom having a famously acrimonious relationship.
The President has also laid siege to the state’s environmental agency and slammed its response to the wildfires that ripped through more than 11,000 homes in Los Angeles at the start of this year.
Children as young as ten are being taught about sex toys and role play in California, documents used for the state’s sexual education program suggest
Sexual health education in US schools is funded federally through the Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP) — which aims to improve sexual health for adolescents and minimize the risk of teenage pregnancies.
It is run by the Administration for Children and Families, part of the HHS, and has been signed up to by Health Departments in 44 states.
In 2022, California was the biggest recipient of funds from the program — receiving $5.8million from the taxpayer.
As part of the program, HHS said the federal government can request to view materials if it is concerned these are not ‘medically accurate and complete’ or are not ‘age-appropriate’.
Online, the administration says California’s program teaches children aged 10 to 19 years, and pregnant and parenting youth up to the age of 21 years.
California requires students to be taught sex ed once in middle school and once in high school, with local districts choosing the curriculum, textbooks and worksheets used. Parents can opt their children out of the lessons.
Schools signed up to PREP in California have four models for teaching sex ed to choose from, including the Power Through Choices model — which includes references to sex toys and role play.
In a guide for teachers in the Power Through Choices model, revealed by HHS, it reads:Â ‘Based on that input from youth and professionals, some role-plays have been included which present same-gender couples and discuss the use of sexual aids (commonly called “sex toys” by the youth).’
It also says: ‘To be inclusive of the diversity found in the systems of care community, the curriculum includes gender-inclusive language, such as the pronouns “they/them/theirs” rather than “she/her/ hers” or “he/him/his.”
‘Characters with same-gender sexual experience, and language that does not gender bodies and body parts.’
In these materials for teachers, used in California’s sexual education program for children aged 10 to 19 years old, it suggests that children should be taught about role-play and sex toys. The materials were included in the Power Through Choices program
In a separate example of resources for teachers, also revealed exclusively to DailyMail.com, it says: ‘Let’s keep in mind that there’s diversity in society and in this group.
‘Some have had sexual intercourse. Some have had sex because they chose to; others may have had sex against their will.’
And it says: ‘Often gender identity matches a person’s body — someone with a girl’s body feels like a girl on the inside or someone with a boy’s body feels like a boy on the inside — but not always.
‘Transgender is when a person’s inner feelings about gender don’t match the body. Transgender people can have any sexual orientation.’
California’s sex ed material appears to clash with President Donald Trump’s agenda, as he signed an executive order on January 20 stating the US now only recognizes two biological sexes — male and female.
The letter was sent to California by the acting assistant secretary for the Administration Children and Families, Andrew Gradison.
In a statement, he said: ‘All grant recipients of federally funded PREP money are expected to comply with all statutory requirements of PREP, including ensuring the programs are medically accurate and complete, and the program provides age-appropriate information and activities.
‘As part of our radical transparency efforts, I will ensure the curriculum students are taught is age-appropriate and medically accurate.’
California’s Department of Health has been asked to respond by April 1, 2025.
DailyMail.com contacted the California Department for comment.
Sex education in the US varies greatly by state and district, with some — particularly red states — focusing on abstinence while others offer comprehensive programs covering contraception, STIs and healthy relationships.
Although almost every state has some guidance on how and when sex education should be taught, this is frequently left up to individual school districts — creating a patchwork of education.Â
Currently, 39 states across the US mandate some kind of sex education and/or HIV education.
The CDC recommends students are educated on 20 sex education topics, including anatomy, puberty, sexual orientation and contraception.
However, according to a 2018 survey from the agency, fewer than half of high schools and less than a fifth of middle schools taught all the topics.