sex education at school essay

Peter DeWitt's

Finding common ground.

A former K-5 public school principal turned author, presenter, and leadership coach, DeWitt provides insights and advice for education leaders. He can be found at www.petermdewitt.com . Read more from this blog .

Should Sex Education Be Taught in Schools?

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Thinking about sex education conjures up all of those uncomfortable moments as an adolescent when we had to sit at our desks and listen to our health teachers talk about things that we joked about with friends but never wanted to have a conversation about with adults. But things have changed a lot since then.

There has been an increase in the number of LGBT students who have come out while in high school, or sometimes, even middle school. We are surrounded images that inspire conversations about sex education and other images created by fashion that offer so much skin that there is nothing left to the imagination.

AVERT defines Sex Education as

the process of acquiring information and forming attitudes and beliefs about sex, sexual identity, relationships and intimacy. Sex education is also about developing young people’s skills so that they make informed choices about their behaviour, and feel confident and competent about acting on these choices.

First and foremost, there is a debate between the use of sexual education programs, where they openly teach about sex and prevention, and abstinence-only programs, which Advocates for Youth say,

• “has as its exclusive purpose teaching the social, psychological, and health gains to be realized by abstaining from sexual activity;
• teaches abstinence from sexual activity outside of marriage is the expected standard for all school-age children;
• teaches that abstinence from sexual activity is the only certain way to avoid out-of-wedlock pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, and other associated health problems;
• teaches that a mutually faithful monogamous relationship in the context of marriage is the expected standard of sexual activity;
• teaches that sexual activity outside the context of marriage is likely to have harmful psychological and physical side effects;
• teaches that bearing children out-of-wedlock is likely to have harmful consequences for the child, the child’s parents, and society;
• teaches young people how to reject sexual advances and how alcohol and drug use increase vulnerability to sexual advances, and
• teaches the importance of attaining self-sufficiency before engaging in sexual activity.”

Advocates for Youth also believe,

Accurate, balanced sex education - including information about contraception and condoms - is a basic human right of youth. Such education helps young people to reduce their risk of potentially negative outcomes, such as unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Such education can also help youth to enhance the quality of their relationships and to develop decision-making skills that will prove invaluable over life. This basic human right is also a core public health principle that receives strong endorsement from mainstream medical associations, public health and educational organizations, and - most important - parents.

But is it the job of teachers in schools to educate students about sex or is it the job of the parents? According to the National Conference of State Legislatures ,

All states are somehow involved in sex education for public schoolchildren. As of Jan. 1, 2015: 22 states and the District of Columbia require public schools teach sex education (20 of which mandate sex education and HIV education). 33 states and the District of Columbia require students receive instruction about HIV/AIDS. 19 states require that if provided, sex education must be medically, factually or technically accurate. State definitions of “medically accurate” vary, from requiring that the department of health review curriculum for accuracy, to mandating that curriculum be based on information from “published authorities upon which medical professionals rely.” Many states define parents’ rights concerning sexual education: 37 states and the District of Columbia require school districts to allow parental involvement in sexual education programs. Three states require parental consent before a child can receive instruction. 35 states and the District of Columbia allow parents to opt-out on behalf of their children.

Of course, if it’s taught in schools, how properly are the students being educated? This debate between whether it’s the school’s job or a parent’s job will last for a very long time, and quite frankly it is an area that many parents and teachers may agree. There are parents who do not want their children to be taught sex education in schools, just as there are some teachers who don’t think it is their job to teach it.

On the other side are parents and teachers who agree it should be taught in schools and at home because it is a topic that we all cannot escape. And I’m sure there are a bunch of people in the middle who do not even want to discuss the topic at all and just hope for the best.

The NPR story, called “Beyond The Birds And The Bees: Surviving Sex Ed Today” ( which can be heard here ) inspired me to think about all of the places that the topic of sex comes up in conversation. Sometimes it’s through jokes on television or social media, other times it’s in stories on the news, and most times it’s the center of the conversation on the back of a school bus. Whether it makes us uncomfortable or not, we can’t seem to escape the topic.

In the NPR story, Lena Solow, a teacher of ten years,

Covers the topics you’d expect: how to prevent STDs, pregnancy. But Solow talks about way more than going all the way. “One of my biggest goals as a sex educator is to be sex-positive,” she explains, “to talk about pleasure and to talk about sex not just as something that just makes babies.”

Listening to the story made me blush a little as I drove alone in my car through Massachusetts, and made me laugh a bit when Solow said that when she was a student her sex education class was taught by the physical education teacher and revolved around spelling tests.

Yes, spelling tests. She said,

“I definitely had spelling tests as a big part of my sex-ed when I was in middle school: ‘Spell gonorrhea. Spell gonococcus. Now you pass or don’t pass health.’ Literally, that was what was prioritized.”

She wants her students to have a much more knowledgeable experience, and she also explores topics that are unfortunately still controversial in today’s schools, which is the topic of LGBT students. In the NPR story, Garsd writes,

“Beyond the basics, Solow is delving into topics that many teachers would skirt. Things like tolerance. Solow recently asked her students if they thought LGBT people would feel comfortable at the school. A lot of the kids say they didn’t think so.”

It’s definitely a complicated debate, which will last for a very long time. What are your thoughts?

The opinions expressed in Peter DeWitt’s Finding Common Ground are strictly those of the author(s) and do not reflect the opinions or endorsement of Editorial Projects in Education, or any of its publications.

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Sex Education in America: the Good, the Bad, the Ugly

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The debate over the best way to teach sexual health in the U.S. continues to rage on, but student voice is often left out of the conversation when schools are deciding on what to teach. So Myles and PBS NewsHour Student Reporters from Oakland Military Institute investigate the pros and cons of the various approaches to sex ed and talk to students to find out how they feel about their sexual health education.

TEACHERS: Guide your students to practice civil discourse about current topics and get practice writing CER (claim, evidence, reasoning) responses.  Explore lesson supports.

What is comprehensive sex education?

Comprehensive sex education teaches that not having sex is the best way to avoid STIs and unintended pregnancies, but it also includes medically accurate information about STI prevention, reproductive health, as well as discussions about healthy relationships, consent, gender identity, LGBTQ issues and more. What is sexual risk avoidance education? Sexual risk avoidance education is also known as abstinence only or abstinence-leaning education. It generally teaches that not having sex is the only morally acceptable, safe and effective way to prevent pregnancy and STIs — some programs don’t talk about birth control or condoms– unless it is to emphasize failure rates.

What are the main arguments for comprehensive sex education?

“Comprehensive sex ed” is based on the idea that public health improves when students have a right to learn about their sexuality and to make responsible decisions about it. Research shows it works to reduce teen pregnancies, delay when teens become sexually active and reduce the number of sexual partners teens have.

What are the main arguments against comprehensive sex education?

Some people, particularly parents and religious groups, take issue with comprehensive sex ed because they believe it goes against their cultural or religious values, and think that it can have a corrupting influence on kids. They say that by providing teens with this kind of information you are endorsing and encouraging sex and risk taking. Some opponents also argue that this type of information should be left up to parents to teach their kids about and shouldn’t be taught in schools.

State Laws and Policies Across the US (SIECUS) 

STDs Adolescents and Young Adults (CDC) 

Myths and Facts about Comprehensive Sex Education (Advocates for Youth)

Abstinence-Only and Comprehensive Sex Education and the Initiation of Sexual Activity and Teen Pregnancy (Journal of Adolescent Health)

Abstinence-Only-Until Marriage: An Updated Review of US Policies and Programs and Their Impact (Journal of Adolescent Health) 

Sexual Risk Avoidance Education: What you need to know (ASCEND) 

We partnered with PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs for this episode. Check out their journalism resources for students: https://studentreportinglabs.org/

To learn more about how we use your information, please read our privacy policy.

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Student Opinion

What Has Your Sex Education Been Like?

By Natalie Proulx

• April 11, 2019

Have you taken any sex education classes during your time in school? In what grade did they start? What topics have you covered each year?

Over all, do you feel you have gotten an adequate education around sex? Why or why not?

In “ As Colorado Moves to Bar Abstinence-Only Sex Education, Teenagers Take the Lead ,” Dan Levin writes about a new law that would require schools in the state to teach comprehensive, medically accurate sex education:

Last year, when Clark Wilson was in eighth grade, his sex education teacher repeatedly rolled a piece of tape on a table until it lost its stickiness, using words like “tainted” and “impure” to describe those who engage in premarital sex. The lesson: “People are like tape and once they have sex they’re dirty and can’t have meaningful relationships,” said Clark, now 15 and a freshman at a Colorado high school in the Denver suburb of Highlands Ranch. While sex education classes are not mandatory in Colorado, proposed legislation that is widely expected to pass would bar the state’s public and charter schools from abstinence-only education. Clark was among several students who testified last month in support of the bill, which would also mandate teachings about safe sex, consent and sexual orientation, elements that have prompted a fierce backlash from those who argue they pose an attack on traditional family values and parental rights. The comprehensive sex education bill, which passed the House this week and is headed to the Senate, would make Colorado the ninth state in the nation to require that consent be taught. Washington, D.C., also teaches consent. Colorado, with its increasingly liberal cities but strong conservative footholds, is a microcosm of the larger national debate over sex ed. Across the country, 37 states require abstinence be covered or stressed, while only 13 require sex education to be medically accurate, according to the Guttmacher Institute, which studies reproductive health. In seven states, laws prohibit educators from portraying same-sex relationships positively. In many schools, however, the focus on abstinence goes beyond just warning children about sexually transmitted infections or unplanned pregnancies. Often, students say, teachers tear off flower petals or pass around an object like tape, a stick of gum or a chocolate bar that becomes increasingly grubby as it’s touched. Studies have repeatedly shown that abstinence-only education increases rates of teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, while comprehensive sex education lowers such risks. But according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, from 2000 to 2014, schools that required sex education dropped to 48 percent from 67 percent, with half of middle schools and more than three-quarters of high schools focusing on abstinence. Only a quarter of middle schools and three-fifths of high schools included lessons about birth control. In 1995, 81 percent of boys and 87 percent of girls reported learning about birth control in school.

In response to this news, The Edit, a newsletter written for and by college students and recent graduates, invited young people to share their sex ed experiences. Here’s what they had to say:

Shelby Scott, Knoxville, Tenn. I was born and raised in Mountain Brook, Ala., which is an upper middle class community in the conservative Christian South. In ninth grade, health teachers showed pictures of late-stage STIs and we had an external speaker come to discuss sex more fully. The program she taught was staunchly abstinence only. The first demonstration she gave was the “ dirty piece of tape ,” in which we were told that having multiple sexual partners prevents your ability to have emotionally fulfilling relationships. While some students (especially those with more open-minded/realistic parents) knew the education we received was unhelpful, for other students it was legitimately harmful. After months of discussing whether they were ready and both consented, a close friend had sex with her college boyfriend. Later in the evening, I went over to her room and found her crying and repeating, “I’m a dirty piece of tape,” the message she internalized from our ninth grade health class. Caleb Goldberg, Louisville, Ky. My sex education class at a small private school in Louisville lasted between seventh and ninth grades (for reference, this is during 2012-15). It wasn’t an abstinence-only class, but it was pretty close. We learned extensively about STDs, while condoms and contraception were only mentioned in passing, and the emotional aspect of sex wasn’t, to my recollection, discussed at all. It was extremely heteronormative — gay men were briefly mentioned in the context of AIDS, and no other references to the L.G.B.T. community were made. I identify as more or less asexual so this inadequate education doesn’t really affect me too much, but I still think it would have been beneficial for me and my fellow students to have heard a more honest account of sexuality. Linnea Peterson, Minnesota The most comprehensive sex ed I ever got was actually provided by my church. Most people are horrified when they hear this, but my church is an anomaly. In the 1980s, we were the first large Lutheran church to be led by a female pastor, and, in 2012, we became the first large Lutheran church to be led by an openly gay pastor. My church-led sex ed was not the “don’t have sex or you’re going to hell” talk people sometimes envision. Rather, when I was in seventh grade, I went on a weekend-long retreat with my church that discussed healthy relationships, gender roles, sexual orientation, stereotypes, STDs, and birth control. The retreat certainly didn’t ensure that all of my relationships would be healthy (they weren’t), but it did much more than my public junior high or public high school did to equip me for the world of intimacy. Amanda Haas, Westlake, Ohio I went to Catholic grade school and high school in the suburbs of Cleveland. In fifth grade they taught us what sex was, and in eighth grade we talked more about STDs, pregnancy, and the value of waiting until marriage to have sex. In high school we learned about birth control, condoms, and looked more in depth about what sex was biologically. My teacher had a box where we could anonymously ask questions and made us all yell “Scrotum!” out the window to get the giggles out and make us more comfortable. I’m really thankful for the fact I had comprehensive sex education with an emphasis on abstinence, the emotional weight of sex, and the value of waiting for someone who cares about you. I think giving young people all the facts allows them to make better decisions. I’m personally still a practicing Catholic and at 23-years-old my boyfriend and I have been dating for three years without having sex. Rebecca Oss, Yardley, Pa. I’m a high school senior who goes to a public school with about 4,000 students. In my district, “health class” starts in fifth grade and goes to tenth grade, but only three years (fifth, seventh, and ninth) include sex ed. Ninth grade had 45 days of health, half being basically: “drugs are bad.” We talked about consent and how relationships can be abusive. We talked about a couple types of birth control. We were told there were three types of sex (vaginal, oral, and anal). We talked about porn and how it was not a realistic view of sex (though we were never given any information on what sex should really look like). Most of that class was about STIs, however. I am not sure if it was intentional or not, but a lot of what we covered seemed to be: “look at these disgusting diseases you could get from sex, so stay away!!!” There are some topics I really wish I had been taught, though. I wish we had talked about L.G.B.T.Q. relationships. I wish we had covered the fluidity of sexuality and gender too. And most importantly I wish we had had this class more often, so that I could more easily feel comfortable talking about these topics. Zach Eisenstein, Washington, D.C. As a young person starting to come to terms with my queer identity, I never benefited from a lesson or curriculum that I could even remotely see myself reflected in before college. When I got there, I lucked my way into a human sexuality course during my first semester. I actually learned about sex. I learned about enthusiastic consent. I learned that no penis is too large for a condom. But, most importantly, I learned that sex education is so much more than telling students to avoid “risky” behaviors that could lead to STIs or unintended pregnancies. My sexuality is not a risk. It’s just a part of who I am. And I should have learned that long before I got to college.

Students, read the entire article, then tell us:

— What has your sex education been like? Is it abstinence-focused or more comprehensive? What topics have you covered in your classes?

— What has been the most impactful experience — either positive or negative — you’ve had during your sex education? What made it so powerful?

— How do you feel about your sex education over all? For example, do you feel informed and empowered by your experience? Or confused and demeaned? Do you feel comfortable with your own body and sexuality? Do you feel prepared to have healthy relationships with others? Do you feel you have a good understanding of all the aspects of a sexual relationship — the social, emotional and biological? Why or why not?

— What topics do you wish you had learned more about in sex ed? Why?

— Do you think states should require that schools teach comprehensive, medically accurate sex education? Or should schools decide their own curriculums? Should parents be permitted to opt their children out of sex ed lessons? Why or why not?

Students 13 and older are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public.

Sex Ed in Schools: What Parents Need to Know

Comprehensive sex education can help reduce rates of sexually transmitted infections and promote healthy relationships.

What to Know About Sex Ed in K-12 Schools

Getty Images

Sex education in schools can be taught by a classroom teacher, school nurse or an outside speaker, and often begins in fifth grade.

For some parents, the term "sex ed" conjures memories of dated videos and cringe-inducing lessons on puberty or how babies are made.

But a good school-based sex education curriculum should be much more than that, encompassing multiple issues related to human growth and development, experts say. In addition to basic facts about puberty, sex and contraception, lessons can cover topics like healthy relationships, sexual violence prevention, body image, sexual orientation and gender identity.

"Just because you teach a young person about how to stay safe and what sex and sexuality is, you're not encouraging them to become sexually active," says Michelle Slaybaugh, director of social impact and strategic communications at SIECUS: Sex Ed for Social Change , a national group that advocates for inclusive sex education. "You're giving them the tools to make decisions about their bodies and their lives that best suit them as individuals."

Why Sex Education Matters

Research shows that comprehensive, culturally responsive and inclusive sex education programs help prevent intimate partner violence and help young people develop healthy relationships. These programs have also been shown to reduce rates of sexual activity, sexual risk behaviors, adolescent pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections.

Sex ed "promotes healthy behaviors," says Laurie Dils, associate director of content, health and sexual health education at the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. "That's really what we are aiming for as educators, equipping young people with education and skills so that they can make healthy decisions that fit with their own values and their family's values."

But in public school, the quality of sex education your child will receive – or whether they will receive any at all – depends largely on the state and district you live in. There are no federal guidelines for sex education, and currently only 18 states require program content to be medically accurate, according to recent data from the Guttmacher Institute, a research and policy organization focused on sexual health and reproductive rights.

"Most young people have access to the internet," Slaybaugh says. "So if we are not providing them instruction that is medically accurate and age-appropriate, we are leaving it to chance for them to find something on the internet, i.e., porn, and then they think that's what sex and sexuality is."

Sex Education Requirements by State

Sex education standards vary by state – with some not having any curriculum requirements in schools. As of June 2022, 39 states plus Washington, D.C., mandate sex education, HIV education or both, according to Guttmacher Institute data.

Unlike sex education, HIV and STI instruction only focus on concepts like pregnancy prevention and risk reduction. "But sexuality touches our lives in so many other ways, especially when it comes to being inclusive to diverse people, families and experiences," Slaybaugh says.

Thirty-nine states and D.C. either stress or require abstinence to be covered when sex education is taught. Meanwhile, only 20 states require provision of information on contraception, Guttmacher Institute research found.

Slaybaugh says that abstinence-only teachings, sometimes referred to as sexual risk avoidance, are often "rooted in shame." For example, she points to one common lesson in which youth are asked to chew up gum and spit it out, then told the chewed up gum is a representation of a person who had sex before marriage.

"Abstinence-only programs do not teach communication and negotiation for consent," she adds. "It does not teach about what healthy relationships should look like and what they don't look like. They do not include affirming lessons around LGBTQIA+ individuals. They're ostracizing a large part of the youth population."

Health experts including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommend that sex education include information about gender and sexual orientation. But only a small handful of states – 10 plus D.C. – require inclusive content with regard to sexual orientation.

Meanwhile, five states – Alabama, Louisiana, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Texas – allow only negative information to be shared about homosexuality and place a positive emphasis on heterosexuality, according to Guttmacher Institute data. And recently, some states have banned or are seeking to ban the discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in school, especially in the younger grades.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, for example, signed a bill in March 2022 prohibiting instruction about sexual orientation or gender identity in K-3 classrooms. Chris Sprowls, speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, said in a press release that such instruction "does not belong in the classroom where 5- and 6-year-old children are learning. It should be up to the parent to decide if and when to introduce these sensitive topics."

But "not seeing yourself reflected at any time is always detrimental to young people. Certainly seeing yourself negatively portrayed would be devastating," says Stephanie Hull, president and CEO of Girls Inc., a nonprofit youth development organization. "When we don't have an LGBTQ inclusive health curriculum, then we don't reduce homophobic attitudes, we don't reduce the bullying and we don't reduce harassment. Those students are already unsafe, so it increases their lack of safety."

Curriculum by Age

Sex education in schools can be taught by a classroom teacher, school nurse or an outside speaker, and often begins in fifth grade, according to Dils.

But some experts say age-appropriate instruction should begin earlier. For instance, the National Sex Education Standards developed by SIECUS: Sex Ed for Social Change, Answer and Advocates for Youth, a group that works to advance sex education, say that sex education should begin in kindergarten . Based on those standards, early conversations are not about the act of sex, but cover basic information about male and female anatomy and concepts like consent and personal boundaries.

From kindergarten to third grade, curricula may also include lessons to help children understand their own emotions and develop good communication skills, boundaries and respect for others, Dils says.

Then, in third to fifth grade, curriculum can shift to discussing what healthy friendships look like. "If a young person doesn't know how to identify an unhealthy friendship, how can we assume that they will be able to identify and find a healthy romantic relationship later on?" says Slaybaugh.

Additionally, schools should start preparing students for puberty, to help them understand what's going to happen as they get older. The first questions that typically arise from children are: Am I normal? Are these changes that are happening to me normal?

"A big part of sex education, if it's done well, is just helping to normalize what they're going through and to give them enough understanding and tools so that they can manage whatever they're going through," Dils says. "It's different for every young person."

As students enter middle school and high school, discussions should dive deeper into puberty, romantic relationships, partner violence, STIs, gender orientation and sexual identity, experts advise.

Parent Involvement in Sex Education

Currently 40 states plus D.C. require school districts to involve parents in sex education and/or HIV education. Thirty-six states and D.C. give parents the option to remove their child from instruction, while five states require parental consent for students to participate in a program, according to recent data from the Guttmacher Institute.

Critics claim that comprehensive sex education oversexualizes children and is not age-appropriate. American Life League, a Catholic pro-life organization, states on its website that "because of sex education programs, schools have been taking away the parents’ responsibilities of teaching their child about human sexuality."

But proponents of comprehensive sex say parents should be involved. "Parents are the most influential people in an adolescent's decisions about sexuality, and we encourage family discussions about their values related to sexuality," Tazmine Weisgerber, training and technical assistance manager at Answer, a national nonprofit housed within Rutgers University that aims to promote access to comprehensive sex education for youth, wrote in an email.

Experts advise parents to find out what's being taught in the classroom and express any concerns about their child's program to administrators at the school or within the district. Issues can also be brought up during their local school board meetings.

Additionally, start having conversations around sex education with your children at home at an early age. Familiarize yourself with the subject by reading the National Sex Ed Standards, Slaybaugh says. There are many other resources parents can refer to, including:

• Planned Parenthood
• SEICUS: Sex Ed for Social Change
• Talk With Your Kids

"At the end of the day, I think all sex educators want parents to be involved," Slaybaugh says. "We want to help parents understand that this is not a scary subject and it's just as important as math, science or reading. It takes all of us to participate in the process to be successful at seeing sex ed as an important lesson."

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The case for starting sex ed in kindergarten (hula hoops recommended)

Lee V. Gaines

Elizabeth Miller

A class of fifth-graders are sitting through an hour-long sex-ed lesson at Louis B. Russell Jr. School 48 in Indianapolis. Some fidget, others giggle. And they have a lot of questions.

How old do you have to be to start using tampons?

What's acne?

It's April, and sex ed teacher Haileigh Huggins does her best to answer them all.

One boy asks, "Can boys have babies?"

"No, they cannot get pregnant," she tells him.

"Because they both would have sperm cells right? There wouldn't be an egg cell."

Huggins is trained to teach age-appropriate, comprehensive sex education. But she only has an hour with these students — and that's just enough time to cover the basics, like puberty and reproduction.

When most people think of sex ed, those are the lessons that often come to mind. But comprehensive sex ed goes beyond that. It's defined by sex ed advocates as a science-based, culturally and age-appropriate set of lessons that start in early grades and go through the end of high school. It covers sexuality, human development, sexual orientation and gender, bodily autonomy and consent, as well as relationship skills and media literacy.

With abortion access changing in many states, advocates for comprehensive sex ed say it's more important than ever. But, like so many things related to schools, sex education is highly politicized.

Only three states require schools to teach age-appropriate, comprehensive sex education: Washington, California and Oregon. That's according to SEICUS, a group that advocates for progressive sex education policies. In other states, what students learn about sex ed depends on what school leaders choose to teach.

Shots - Health News

How one author is aspiring to make sex education more relatable for today's kids.

And yet, research shows these lessons can lead to better health outcomes for students.

"The major finding of the research is that comprehensive sex education scaffolded across grades, embedded in supportive school environments and across subject areas, can improve sexual, social and emotional health, as well as academic outcomes for young people," says Eva Goldfarb, a researcher at Montclair State University in New Jersey. She is co-author of a 2020 paper on the topic.

"Even though it may seem like sex education is controversial, it absolutely is not," says Nora Gelperin, director of sex education and training at Advocates for Youth — an organization that promotes access to comprehensive sex education.

She says comprehensive sex ed is "always in the best interest of young people."

Here's what it looks like, for different age levels from grades K-12:

Elementary school: Consent, personal boundaries and healthy relationships

Age-appropriate sex ed for kindergartners introduces topics like consent, identifying who is in your family and the correct names for body parts.

"When we're talking about consent with kindergartners, that means getting permission before you touch someone else; asking if it's OK if you borrow somebody's toy or pencil or game, so that kids start to learn about personal boundaries and consent in really age- and developmentally appropriate ways," says Gelperin, who was part of a team that released the first national sex education standards in 2012.

Gelperin loves to use hula hoops to teach young kids about bodily autonomy: Each student gets one, and is instructed to ask for permission to go inside someone else's hula hoop. The hoops are an analogy for boundaries.

"If someone is touching you inside your boundary in a way that makes you uncomfortable, it's OK to say no and talk to a trusted adult," Gelperin tells students.

Another good lesson for younger children is how to identify those trusted adults. Mariotta Gary-Smith, a sex ed instructor based in Oregon, asks students to write a list of people they trust in their communities: "People that you know care about you, people who are accessible to you, people who could support you."

The list can include peers, immediate and extended family members or chosen family members. Then Gary-Smith, who co-founded the Women of Color Sexual Health Network, asks students to think about how they would talk to the people on their list about safety, respect and boundaries.

The Birds And The Bees — How To Talk To Children About Sex

"When they knew that they had trust and safety in their circle, they felt like they could express themselves without judgment," she explains.

As students head into third grade, Gelperin says they should start learning the characteristics of healthy relationships with friends and family.

"Sometimes there's teasing and bullying that's going on in those grade levels. So you want to talk about how to interrupt teasing and bullying and how to stand up for others that may be getting teased or bullied," she explains.

There should also be a focus on respecting others' differences, including different family makeups, cultural backgrounds and faith traditions.

Gelperin says lessons on consent should continue throughout elementary school. And she recommends lessons on puberty begin in fourth grade, because that's when some students begin to see and experience changes in their bodies.

Middle school: Real talk about puberty

As students transition from elementary school to middle school, they should learn about the details of reproduction, including biological terms and why some people menstruate while others create sperm.

"That for me is a real hallmark of middle school sex education, is kind of really starting to understand how those parts and systems work together for reproduction," Gelperin says.

A new puberty guide for kids aims to replace anxiety with self-confidence

It's also a good time to connect the physical effects of puberty and hormones with the feelings of attraction that come along with them.

"Who gives you butterflies in your stomach? Who makes your palm sweaty?" Gelperin says. "Because we know with puberty, one of the changes is experiencing new hormones that make us feel feelings of attraction often for other people in a new and different way."

Students should also learn about sexually transmitted infections, like HIV, and how they're transmitted.

Sex education often leaves out queer people. Here's what to know

And middle school is a good time to start learning about gender expression and sexual orientation, as well as gender stereotypes. One Advocates for Youth lesson includes a scavenger hunt homework assignment where students look for gender stereotypes in the world around them, like a sports ad that only features men or an ad for cleaning supplies that only features women.

High school: When conversations about healthy relationships get deeper

Healthy relationships are a "hallmark" of comprehensive sex education, Gelperin says. As students move into high school, the conversation should expand from family and friends to partners and intimate relationships.

"What makes a relationship healthy? How do you know if a relationship is not healthy?" Gelperirn says.

Those conversations should also cover sexual abuse, sexual harassment and sexual assault.

At Mountainside High School in Beaverton, Ore., school health teacher Jenn Hicks shares statistics with students about the disproportionate rates of sexual violence for women, women of color and members of the LGBTQ communiity.

"Sexual violence can happen to anyone," she tells her class, "but it doesn't happen equally to everyone."

That leads to a conversation about consent.

"We have to talk about how we treat each other better, why consent is so important and why we need to listen to each other and protect each other," Hicks says. "Again, violence is used as a form of control to keep groups of people disempowered and fearful."

What Your Teen Wishes You Knew About Sex Education

And then, of course, come the classic lessons of high school sex ed, about pregnancy, how to prevent sexually transmitted infections and how to use contraception – a lesson Gelperin says is especially important.

"We can't expect young people to know how to use condoms correctly unless we help them learn how to do that."

One classic method: bananas. Specifically, having students practice placing a condom on a banana, as one Advocates for Youth lesson recommends.

Finally, there are lessons that don't have anything to do with sex (or fruit) — like how to find credible sources of information.

Think about all the rumors about sex that can circulate in a high school – those rumors are also all over the internet. And for a kid looking for information, it can be hard to know what to believe.

"We're allowing children to learn what's out there, and they are," says sex ed researcher Lisa Lieberman, who co-authored that Montclair State University paper. "They are accessing pornography; they are accessing the internet. They are learning in ways that are not the message that most parents and schools want children to have."

Advocates for Youth recommends asking students to evaluate different sexual health websites, and identify the ones that are trustworthy.

For Hicks, the goal of all this is to give every student the tools they need to stay safe.

"It's recognizing everybody that's in the room and giving them the knowledge and skills to make the best possible decisions for themselves and to lead a happy, fulfilled life."

Sex ed recommendations are always evolving

Mariotta Gary-Smith, with the Women of Color Sexual Health Network, says 10 years ago sex education wasn't culturally reflective or respectful to everyone, including to communities of color.

"The images that are used, that have been used historically ... you don't see bodies that are not white, able-bodied, cis, slender, slim," she explains. "You don't see or hear about young people who choose to parent if they become pregnant. You hear about teen pregnancy as this thing to be stopped, but not honoring that there are cultures and communities where young people who choose to parent are celebrated."

Texas got a sex ed update, but students and educators say there's still a lot missing

Gary-Smith has helped create more inclusive lessons through the Women of Color Sexual Health Network, and the sex ed standards Gelperin helped create in 2012 were updated in 2020 to include racism, inequality and their impact on sexual health. An Advocates for Youth lesson points students to examples of how racism has impacted the health and reproductive rights of low-income women of color, among other groups.

The national sex ed standards were also updated to touch on gender identity, sexual orientation, reproductive justice and sexually explicit media.

"It really allowed us to reflect the times in 2020 and what young people were saying was their lived experiences that they were so hungry to learn and talk about," Gelperin says.

Keeping sex ed inclusive and culturally reflective means teaching about systemic oppression, discrimination and the history and impacts of racism on certain communities, Gary-Smith explains. For example, a lesson on reproductive health might discuss historical examples of forced sterilization of Indigenous women or Black women, or the criminal justice system as it connects to family relationships.

These lessons may seem a far cry from those on consent or gender, and Gary-Smith understands that.

"Everything I'm talking about now, 10 years ago, we weren't talking about it," she explains.

That highlights one of the most important characteristics of sex ed for Gary-Smith: It should always be evolving.

"It needs to shift and change because things shift and change."

Lee Gaines is from member station WFYI, and Elizabeth Miller is from member station OPB. Nicole Cohen edited this story for broadcast and digital.

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Why Sex Education Should Be Taught in School? - Argumentative Essay

Introduction.

A sex education topic is one of the most sensitive subjects that teachers have to teach their students in school as they equip and inform them with the right information about the human body and sexuality. It is hard because teachers are expected to educate students about sex depending on their age (Iyer & Aggleton, 2013). Further, in the modern day where technology and the internet are easily accessible to young children, as well as exposure to sex scenes in movies and television, teachers are daunted with the responsibility of dealing with students that are aware of sexuality, even though some of the information might be wrong.

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Children also get information from their friends, and other unreliable sources, some of which is misleading (Stanger-Hall & Hall, 2011). The justifications for teaching sex education in the classroom is to equip students with the right information so that they can make better choices in their lives, both in the short-term and in the long-term. Teaching sex education demystifies the hearsay information that students have heard or assumed about how their bodies function, allowing them to know what is right or wrong for them.

Students should be taught about sex as it equips them with the necessary biological information. Sex education is comprehensive and diverse, and it incorporates the right biological terms, describing the reproductive system of both men and women (Iyer & Aggleton, 2013). Students are aware of what to expect of their bodies in the future, and the care they should give to their bodies so that they can lead a healthy and meaningful life. Teachers use practical lessons to explain the theoretical concepts about the human body. For instance, a teacher might demonstrate how to insert a condom on a dummy erect penis for teenagers.

Sex education is essential for learners since it gives them a chance to understand and explore the concept of gender (Stanger-Hall & Hall, 2011). Gender identities are an issue that young children need to know as it gives a person a sense of individualities, and is not limited to the normal heterosexuals. It informs learners of the rights they have over their sexualities as well as the power they have in relationships. For instance, some learners may feel trapped in the wrong body and may consider changing their gender, which is justifiable since every individual has a right over his or her sexuality.

Sex education is vital for learners since it gives them a chance to ask questions they would feel shy asking their parents. Iyer & Aggleton (2013) suggested that most children are uncomfortable discussing sex and changes taking place in the body with their parents, which forces young people to look for information from their peers. Some of the information they receive from their peers is wrong. In a classroom setting, teachers give the learners the chance to state what they know about sexuality, which then provides the tutors an opportunity to correct any wrong information (Stanger-Hall & Hall, 2011). Some institutions may involve parents in the sex education programs in school where children meet with their guardians and tutors and expand the topic of sexuality with ease.

In conclusion, teaching sex education in school is essential. Learners are given information about their bodies, giving them a chance to make the right choices. Therefore, if learners choose to engage in sex at an early age, they can make the right decisions like using protection. Sex education informs learners about the dangers of engaging in unprotected sex with multiple partners. Telling the learners about their sexuality empowers them to choose what they desire.

Iyer, P., & Aggleton, P. (2013). 'Sex education should be taught, fine... but we make sure they control themselves': teachers' beliefs and attitudes towards young people's sexual and reproductive health in a Ugandan secondary school. Sex Education, 13(1), 40-53.

Stanger-Hall, K. F., & Hall, D. W. (2011). Abstinence-only education and teen pregnancy rates: why we need comprehensive sex education in the US. PloS one, 6(10), e24658.

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The Importance of Access to Comprehensive Sex Education

Comprehensive sex education is a critical component of sexual and reproductive health care.

Developing a healthy sexuality is a core developmental milestone for child and adolescent health.

Youth need developmentally appropriate information about their sexuality and how it relates to their bodies, community, culture, society, mental health, and relationships with family, peers, and romantic partners.

AAP supports broad access to comprehensive sex education, wherein all children and adolescents have access to developmentally appropriate, evidence-based education that provides the knowledge they need to:

• Develop a safe and positive view of sexuality.
• Build healthy relationships.
• Make informed, safe, positive choices about their sexuality and sexual health.

Comprehensive sex education involves teaching about all aspects of human sexuality, including:

• Cyber solicitation/bullying.
• Healthy sexual development.
• Body image.
• Sexual orientation.
• Gender identity.
• Pleasure from sex.
• Sexual abuse.
• Sexual behavior.
• Sexual reproduction.
• Sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
• Abstinence.
• Contraception.
• Interpersonal relationships.
• Reproductive coercion.
• Reproductive rights.
• Reproductive responsibilities.

Comprehensive sex education programs have several common elements:

• Utilize evidence-based, medically accurate curriculum that can be adapted for youth with disabilities.
• Employ developmentally appropriate information, learning strategies, teaching methods, and materials.
• Human development , including anatomy, puberty, body image, sexual orientation, and gender identity.
• Relationships , including families, peers, dating, marriage, and raising children.
• Personal skills , including values, decision making, communication, assertiveness, negotiation, and help-seeking.
• Sexual behavior , including abstinence, masturbation, shared sexual behavior, pleasure from esx, and sexual dysfunction across the lifespan.
• Sexual health , including contraception, pregnancy, prenatal care, abortion, STIs, HIV and AIDS, sexual abuse, assault, and violence.
• Society and culture , including gender roles, diversity, and the intersection of sexuality and the law, religion, media, and the arts.
• Create an opportunity for youth to question, explore, and assess both personal and societal attitudes around gender and sexuality.
• Focus on personal practices, skills, and behaviors for healthy relationships, including an explicit focus on communication, consent, refusal skills/accepting rejection, violence prevention, personal safety, decision making, and bystander intervention.
• Help youth exercise responsibility in sexual relationships.
• Include information on how to come forward if a student is being sexually abused.
• Address education from a trauma-informed, culturally responsive approach that bridges mental, emotional, and relational health.

Comprehensive sex education should occur across the developmental spectrum, beginning at early ages and continuing throughout childhood and adolescence :

• Sex education is most effective when it begins before the initiation of sexual activity.
• Young children can understand concepts related to bodies, gender, and relationships.
• Sex education programs should build an early foundation and scaffold learning with developmentally appropriate content across grade levels.
• AAP Policy outlines considerations for providing developmentally appropriate sex education throughout early childhood, middle childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood.

Most adolescents report receiving some type of formal sex education before age 18. While sex education is typically associated with schools, comprehensive sex education can be delivered in several complementary settings:

• Schools can implement comprehensive sex education curriculum across all grade levels
• The Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS) provides guidelines for providing developmentally appropriate comprehensive sex education across grades K-12.
• Pediatric health clinicians and other health care providers are uniquely positioned to provide longitudinal sex education to children, adolescents, and young adults.
• Bright Futures: Guidelines for Health Supervision of Infants, Children, and Adolescents outlines clinical considerations for providing comprehensive sex education at all developmental stages, as a part of preventive health care.
• Research suggests that community-based organizations should be included as a source for comprehensive sexual health promotion.
• Faith-based communities have developed sex education curricula for their congregations or local chapters that emphasize the moral and ethical aspects of sexuality and decision-making.
• Parents and caregivers can serve as the primary sex educators for their children, by teaching fundamental lessons about bodies, development, gender, and relationships.
• Many factors impact the sex education that youth receive at home, including parent/caregiver knowledge, skills, comfort, culture, beliefs, and social norms.
• Virtual sex education can take away feelings of embarrassment or stigma and can allow for more youth to access high quality sex education.

Comprehensive sex education provides children and adolescents with the information that they need to:

• Understand their body, gender identity, and sexuality.
• Build and maintain healthy and safe relationships.
• Engage in healthy communication and decision-making around sex.
• Practice healthy sexual behavior.
• Understand and access care to support their sexual and reproductive health.

Comprehensive sex education programs have demonstrated success in reducing rates of sexual activity, sexual risk behaviors, STIs, and adolescent pregnancy and delaying sexual activity. Many systematic reviews of the literature have indicated that comprehensive sex education promotes healthy sexual behaviors:

• Reduced sexual activity.
• Reduced number of sexual partners.
• Reduced frequency of unprotected sex.
• Increased condom use.
• Increased contraceptive use.

However, comprehensive sex education curriculum goes beyond risk-reduction, by covering a broader range of content that has been shown to support social-emotional learning, positive communication skills, and development of healthy relationships.

A 2021 review of the literature found that comprehensive sex education programs that use a positive, affirming, and inclusive approach to human sexuality are associated with concrete benefits across 5 key domains:

Benefits of comprehensive sex education programs 

When children and adolescents lack access to comprehensive sex education, they do not get the information they need to make informed, healthy decisions about their lives, relationships, and behaviors.

Several trends in sexual health in the US highlight the need for comprehensive sex education for all youth.

Education about condom and contraceptive use is needed:

• 55% of US high school students report having sexual intercourse by age 18 .
• Self-reported condom use has decreased significantly among high school students.
• Only 9% of sexually active high school students report using both a condom for STI-prevention and a more effective form of birth control to prevent pregnancy .

STI prevention is needed:

• Adolescents and young adults are disproportionately impacted by STIs.
• Cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis are rising rapidly among young people.
• When left untreated , these infections can lead to infertility, adverse pregnancy and birth outcomes, and increased risk of acquiring new STIs.
• Youth need comprehensive, unbiased information about STI prevention, including human papillomavirus (HPV) .

Continued prevention of unintended pregnancy is needed:

• Overall US birth rates among adolescent mothers have declined over the last 3 decades.
• There are significant geographic disparities in adolescent pregnancy rates, with higher rates of pregnancy in rural counties and in southern and southwestern states.
• Social drivers of health and systemic inequities have caused racial and ethnic disparities in adolescent pregnancy rates.
• Eliminating disparities in adolescent pregnancy and birth rates can increase health equity, improve health and life outcomes, and reduce the economic impact of adolescent parenting.

Misinformation about sexual health is easily available online:

• Internet use is nearly universal among US children and adolescents.
• Adolescents report seeking sexual health information online .
• Sexual health websites that adolescents visit can contain inaccurate information .

Prevention of sex abuse, dating violence, and unhealthy relationships is needed:

• Child sexual abuse is common: 25% of girls and 8% of boys experience sexual abuse during childhood .
• Youth who experience sexual abuse have long-term impacts on their physical, mental, and behavioral health.
• 1 in 11 female and 1 in 14 male students report physical DV in the last year .
• 1 in 8 female and 1 in 26 male students report sexual DV in the last year .
• Youth who experience DV have higher rates of anxiety, depression, substance use, antisocial behaviors, and suicide risk.

The quality and content of sex education in US schools varies widely.

There is significant variation in the quality of sex education taught in US schools, leading to disparities in attitudes, health information, and outcomes. The majority of sex education programs in the US tend to focus on public health goals of decreasing unintended pregnancies and preventing STIs, via individual behavior change.

There are three primary categories of sex educational programs taught in the US :

• Abstinence-only education , which teaches that abstinence is expected until marriage and typically excludes information around the utility of contraception or condoms to prevent pregnancy and STIs.
• Abstinence-plus education , which promotes abstinence but includes information on contraception and condoms.
• Comprehensive sex education , which provides medically accurate, age-appropriate information around development, sexual behavior (including abstinence), healthy relationships, life and communication skills, sexual orientation, and gender identity.

State laws impact the curriculum covered in sex education programs. According to a report from the Guttmacher Institute :

• 26 US states and Washington DC mandate sex education and HIV education.
• 18 states require that sex education content be medically accurate.
• 39 states require that sex education programs provide information on abstinence.
• 20 states require that sex education programs provide information on contraception.

US states have varying requirements on sex education content related to sexual orientation :

• 10 states require sex education curriculum to include affirming content on LGBTQ2S+ identities or discussion of sexual health for youth who are LGBTQ2S+.
• 7 states have sex education curricular requirements that discriminate against individuals who are LGBTQ2S+.Youth who live in these states may face additional barriers to accessing sexual health information.

Abstinence-only sex education programs do not meet the needs of children and adolescents.

While abstinence is 100% effective in preventing pregnancy and STIs, research has conclusively shown that abstinence-only sex education programs do not support healthy sexual development in youth.

Abstinence-only programs are ineffective in reaching their stated goals, as evidenced by the data below:

• Abstinence-only programs are unsuccessful in delaying sex until marriage .
• Abstinence-only sex education programs do not impact the rates of pregnancy, STIs, or HIV in adolescents .
• Youth who take a “virginity pledge” as part of abstinence-only education programs have the same rates of premarital sex as their peers who do not take pledges, but are less likely to use contraceptives .
• US states that emphasize abstinence-only education have higher rates of adolescent pregnancy and birth .

Abstinence-only programs can harm the healthy sexual and mental development of youth by:

• Withholding information or providing inaccurate information about sexuality and sexual behavior .
• Contributing to fear, shame, and stigma around sexual behaviors .
• Not sharing information on contraception and barrier protection or overstating the risks of contraception .
• Utilizing heteronormative framing and stigma or discrimination against students who are LGBTQ2S+ .
• Reinforcing harmful gender stereotypes .
• Ignoring the needs of youth who are already sexually active by withholding education around contraception and STI prevention.

Abstinence-plus sex education programs focus solely on decreasing unintended pregnancy and STIs.

Abstinence-plus sex education programs promote abstinence until marriage. However, these programs also provide information on contraception and condom use to prevent unintended pregnancy and STIs.

Research has demonstrated that abstinence-plus programs have an impact on sexual behavior and safety, including:

• HIV prevention.
• Increase in condom use .
• Reduction in number of sexual partners .
• Delay in initiation of sexual behavior .

While these programs add another layer of education, they do not address the broader spectrum of sexuality, gender identity, and relationship skills, thus withholding critical information and skill-building that can impact healthy sexual development.

AAP and other national medical and public health associations support comprehensive sex education for youth.

Given the evidence outlined above, AAP and other national medical organizations oppose abstinence-only education and endorse comprehensive sex education that includes both abstinence promotion and provision of accurate information about contraception, STIs, and sexuality.

National medical and public health organizations supporting comprehensive sex education include:

• American Academy of Pediatrics .
• American Academy of Family Physicians.
• American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists .
• American Medical Association .
• American Public Health Association .
• Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine .

Pediatric clinics provide a unique opportunity for comprehensive sex education.

Pediatric health clinicians typically have longitudinal care relationships with their patients and families, and thus have unique opportunities to address comprehensive sex education across all stages of development.

The clinical visit can serve as a useful adjunct to support comprehensive sex education provided in schools, or to fill gaps in knowledge for youth who are exposed to abstinence-only or abstinence-plus curricula.

AAP policy and Bright Futures: Guidelines for Health Supervision of Infants, Children, and Adolescents provide recommendations for comprehensive sex education in clinical settings, including:

• Encouraging parent-child discussions on sexuality, contraception, and internet/media use.
• Understanding diverse experiences and beliefs related to sexuality and sex education and meeting the unique needs of individual patients and families.
• Including discussions around healthy relationships, dating violence, and intimate partner violence in clinical care.
• Discussing methods of contraception and STI/HPV prevention prior to onset of sexual intercourse.
• Providing proactive and developmentally appropriate sex education to all youth, including children and adolescents with special health care needs.

Perspective

Karen Torres, Youth activist

There were two cardboard bears, and a person explained that one bear wears a bikini to the beach and the other bear wears shorts – that is the closest thing I ever got to sex ed throughout my entire K-12 education. I often think about that bear lesson because it was the day our institutions failed to teach me anything about my body, relationships, consent, and self-advocacy, which became even more evident after I was sexually assaulted at 16 years old. My story is not unique, I know that many young people have been through similar traumas, but many of us were also subjected to days, months, and years of silence and embarrassment because we were never given the knowledge to know how to spot abuse or the language to ask for help. Comprehensive sex ed is so much more than people make it out to be, it teaches about sex but also about different types of experiences, how to respect one another, how to communicate in uncomfortable situations, how to ask for help and an insurmountable amount of other valuable lessons.

From these lessons, people become well-rounded, people become more empathetic to other experiences, and people become better. I believe comprehensive sex ed is vital to all people and would eventually work as a part to build more compassionate communities.

Many US children and adolescents do not receive comprehensive sex education; and rates of formal sex education have declined significantly in recent decades.

Barriers to accessing comprehensive sex education include:

Misinformation, stigma, and fear of negative reactions:

• Misinformation and stigma about the content of sex education curriculum has been the primary barrier to equitable access to comprehensive sex education in schools for decades .
• Despite widespread parental support for sex education in schools, fears of negative public/parent reactions have led school administrators to limit youth access to the information they need to make healthy decisions about their sexuality for nearly a half-century.
• In recent years, misinformation campaigns have spread false information about the framing and content of comprehensive sex education programs, causing debates and polarization at school board meetings .
• Nearly half of sex education teachers report that concerns about parent, student, or administrator responses are a barrier to provision of comprehensive sex education.
• Opponents of comprehensive sex education often express concern that this education will lead youth to have sex; however, research has demonstrated that this is not the case . Instead, comprehensive sex ed is associated with delays in initiation of sexual behavior, reduced frequency of sexual intercourse, a reduction in number of partners, and an increase in condom use.
• Some populations of youth lack access to comprehensive sex education due to a societal belief that they are asexual, in need of protection, or don’t need to learn about sex. This barrier particularly impacts youth with disabilities or special health care needs .
• Sex ed curricula in some schools perpetuate gender/sex stereotypes, which could contribute to negative gender stereotypes and negative attitudes towards sex .

Inconsistencies in school-based sex education:

• There is significant variation in the content of sex education taught in schools in the US, and many programs that carry the same label (eg, “abstinence-plus”) vary widely in curriculum.
• While decisions about sex education curriculum are made at the state level, the federal government has provided funding to support abstinence-only education for decades , which incentivizes schools to use these programs.
• Since 1996, more than $2 billion in federal funds have been spent to support abstinence-only sex education in schools.
• 34 US states require schools to use abstinence-only curriculum or emphasize abstinence as the main way to avoid pregnancy and STIs.
• Only 16 US states require instruction on condoms or contraception.
• It is not standard to include information on how to come forward if a student is being sexually abused, and many schools do not have a process for disclosures made.
• Because of this, abstinence-only programs are commonly used in US schools, despite overwhelming evidence that they are ineffective in delaying sexual behavior until marriage, and withhold critical information that youth need for healthy sexual and relationship development.

Need for resources and training:

• Integration of comprehensive sex education into school curriculum requires financial resources to strengthen and expand evidence-based programs.
• Successful implementation of comprehensive sex education requires a trained workforce of teachers who can address the curriculum in age-appropriate ways for students in all grade-levels.
• Education, training, and technical assistance are needed to support pediatric health clinicians in addressing comprehensive sex education in clinical settings, as a complement to school-based education.

Lack of diversity and cultural awareness in curricula:

• A history of systemic racism, discrimination, and long-standing health, social and systemic inequities have created racial and ethnic disparities in access to sexual health services and representation in sex education materials. The legacy of intergenerational trauma in the medical system should be acknowledged in sex education curricula.
• Sex education curriculum is often centered on a white audience, and does not address or reflect the role of systemic racism in sexuality and development .
• Traditional abstinence-focused sex education programs have a heteronormative focus and do not address the unique needs of youth who are LGBTQ2S+ .
• Sex education programs often do not address reproductive body diversity, the needs of those with differences in sex development, and those who identify as intersex .
• Sex education programs often do not reflect the unique needs of youth with disabilities or special health care needs .
• Sex education programs are often not tailored to meet the religious considerations of faith communities.
• There is a need for sex education programs designed to help youth navigate sexual health and development in the context of their own culture and community .

Disparities in access to comprehensive sex education.

The barriers listed above limit access to comprehensive sex education in schools and communities. While these barriers impact youth across the US, there are some populations who are less likely to have access to comprehensive to sex education.

Youth who are LGBTQ2S+:

• Only 8% of students who are LGBTQ2S+ report having received sexual education that was inclusive .
• Students who are LGBTQ2S+ are 50% more likely than their peers who are heterosexual to report that sex education in their schools was not useful to them .
• Only 13% of youth who are bisexual+ and 10% of youth who are transgender and gender expansive report receiving sex education in schools that felt personally relevant.
• Only 20% of youth who are Black and LGBTQ2S+ and 13% of youth who are Latinx and LGBTQ2S+ report receiving sex education in schools that felt personally relevant.
• Only 10 US states require affirming content on LGBTQ2S+ relationships in sex education curriculum.

Youth with disabilities or special health care needs:

• Youth with disabilities or special health care needs have a particular need for comprehensive sex education, as these youth are less likely to learn about sex or sexuality form their parents , healthcare providers , or peer groups .
• In a national survey, only half of youth with disabilities report that they have participated in sex education .
• Typical sex education may not be sufficient for youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder, and special methods and curricula are necessary to match their needs .
• Lack the desire or maturity for romantic or sexual relationships.
• Are not subject to sexual abuse.
• Do not need sex education.
• Only 3 states explicitly include youth with disabilities within their sex education requirements.

Youth from historically underserved communities:

• Students who are Black in the US are more likely than students who are white to receive abstinence-only sex education , despite significant support from parents and students who are Black for comprehensive sex education.
• Youth who are Black and female are less likely than peers who are white to receive education about where to obtain birth control prior to initiating sexual activity.
• Youth who are Black and male and Hispanic are less likely than their peers who are white to receive formal education on STI prevention or contraception prior to initiating sexual activity.
• Youth who are Hispanic and female are less likely to receive instruction about waiting to have sex than youth of other ethnicities.
• Tribal health educators report challenges in identifying culturally relevant sex education curriculum for youth who are American Indian/Alaska Native.
• In a 2019 study, youth who were LGBTQ2S+ and Black, Latinx, or Asian reported receiving inadequate sex education due to feeling unrepresented, unsupported, stigmatized, or bullied.
• In survey research, many young adults who are Asian American report that they received inadequate sex education in school.

Youth from rural communities:

• Adolescents who live in rural communities have faced disproportionate declines in formal sex education over the past two decades, compared with peers in urban/suburban areas.
• Students who live in rural communities report that the sex education curriculum in their schools does not serve their needs .

Youth from communities and schools that are low-income:

• Data has shown an association between schools that are low-resource and lower adolescent sexual health knowledge, due to a combination of fewer school resources and higher poverty rates/associated unmet health needs in the student body.
• Youth with family incomes above 200% of the federal poverty line are more likely to receive education about STI prevention, contraception, and “saying no to sex,” than their peers below 200% of the poverty line.

Youth who receive sex education in some religious settings:

• Most adolescents who identify as female and who attended church-based sex education programs report instructions on waiting until marriage for sex, while few report receiving education about birth control.
• Young people who received sex education in religious schools report that education focused on the risks of sexual behavior (STIs, pregnancy) and religious guilt; leading to them feeling under-equipped to make informed decisions about sex and sexuality later in life.
• Youth and teachers from religious schools have identified a need for comprehensive sex education curriculum that is tailored to the needs of faith communities .

Youth who live in states that limit the topics that can be covered in sex education:

• Students who live in the 34 states that require sex education programs to stress abstinence are less likely to have access to critical information on STI prevention and contraception.
• Prohibitions on addressing abortion in sex education or mandates that sex education curricula include medically inaccurate information on abortion designed to dissuade youth from terminating a pregnancy.
• Limitations on the types of contraception that can be covered in sex education curricula.
• Requirements that sex education teachers promote heterosexual, monogamous marriage in sex education.
• Lack of requirements to address healthy relationships and communication skills.
• Lack of requirements for teacher training or certification.

Comprehensive sex education has significant benefits for children and adolescents.

Youth who are exposed to comprehensive sex education programs in school demonstrate healthier sexual behaviors:

• Increased rates of contraception and condom use.
• Fewer unplanned pregnancies.
• Lower rates of STIs and HIV.
• Delayed initiation of sexual behavior.

More broadly, comprehensive sexual education impacts overall social-emotional health , including:

• Enhanced understanding of gender and sexuality.
• Lower rates of homophobia and related bullying.
• Lower rates of dating violence, intimate partner violence, sexual assault, and child sexual abuse.
• Healthier relationships and communication skills.
• Understanding of reproductive rights and responsibilities.
• Improved social-emotional learning, media literacy, and academic achievement.

Comprehensive sex education curriculum goes beyond risk reduction, to ensure that youth are supported in understanding their identity and sexuality and making informed decisions about their relationships, behaviors, and future. These benefits are critical to healthy sexual development.

Impacts of a lack of access to comprehensive sex education.

When youth are denied access to comprehensive sex education, they do not get the information and skill-building required for healthy sexual development. As such, they face unnecessary barriers to understanding their gender and sexuality, building positive interpersonal relationships, and making informed decisions about their sexual behavior and sexual health.

Impacts of a lack of comprehensive sex education for all youth can include :

• Less use of condoms, leading to higher risk of STIs, including HIV.
• Less use of contraception, leading to higher risk of unplanned pregnancy.
• Less understanding and increased stigma and shame around the spectrum of gender and sexual identity.
• Perpetuated stigma and embarrassment related to sex and sexual identity.
• Perpetuated gender stereotypes and traditional gender roles.
• Higher rates of youth turning to unreliable sources for information about sex, including the internet, the media, and informal learning from peer networks.
• Challenges in interpersonal communication.
• Challenges in building, maintaining, and recognizing safe, healthy peer and romantic relationships.
• Lower understanding of the importance of obtaining and giving enthusiastic consent prior to sexual activity.
• Less awareness of appropriate/inappropriate touch and lower reporting of child sexual abuse.
• Higher rates of dating violence and intimate partner violence, and less intervention from bystanders.
• Higher rates of homophobia and homophobic bullying.
• Unsafe school environments.
• Lower rates of media literacy.
• Lower rates of social-emotional learning.
• Lower recognition of gender equity, rights, and social justice.

In addition, the lack of access to comprehensive sex education can exacerbate existing health disparities, with disproportionate impacts on specific populations of youth.

Youth who identify as women, youth from communities of color, youth with disabilities, and youth who are LGBTQ2S+ are particularly impacted by inequitable access to comprehensive sex education, as this lack of education can impact their health, safety, and self-identity. Examples of these impacts are outlined below.

A lack of comprehensive sex education can harm young women.

• Female bodies are more prone to STI infection and more likely to experience complications of STI infection than male bodies.
• Female bodies are disproportionately impacted by long-term health consequences of STIs , including pelvic inflammatory disease, infertility, and ectopic pregnancy.
• Female bodies are less likely to have or recognize symptoms of certain STI infections .
• Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common STI in young women , and can cause long-term health consequences such as genital warts and cervical cancer.
• Women bear the health and economic effects of unplanned pregnancy.
• Comprehensive sex education addresses these issues by providing medically-accurate, evidence based information on effective strategies to prevent STI infections and unplanned pregnancy.
• Students who identify as female are more likely to experience sexual or physical dating violence than their peers who identify as male. Some of this may be attributed to underreporting by males due to stigma.
• Students who identify as female are bullied on school property more often than students who identify as male.
• Young women ages 16-19 are at higher risk of rape, attempted rape, or sexual assault than the general population.
• Comprehensive sex education addresses these issues by guiding the development of healthy self-identities, challenging harmful gender norms, and building the skills required for respectful, equitable relationships.

A lack of comprehensive sex education can harm youth from communities of color.

• Youth of color benefit from seeing themselves represented in sex education curriculum.
• Sex education programs that use a framing of diversity, equity, rights, and social justice , informed by an understanding of systemic racism and discrimination, have been found to increase positive attitudes around reproductive rights in all students.
• There is a critical need for sex education programs that reflect youth’s cultural values and community .
• Comprehensive sex education can address these needs by developing curriculum that is inclusive of diverse communities, relationships, and cultures, so that youth see themselves represented in their education.
• Racial and ethnic disparities in STI and HIV infection.
• Racial and ethnic disparities in unplanned pregnancy and births among adolescents.
• Nearly half of youth who are Black ages 13-21 report having been pressured into sexual activity .
• Adolescent experience with dating violence is most prevalent among youth who are American Indian/Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, and multiracial.
• Adolescents who are Latinx are more likely than their peers who are non-Latinx to report physical dating violence .
• Youth who are Black and Latinx and who experience bullying are more likely to suffer negative impacts on academic performance than their white peers.
• Students who are Asian American and Pacific Islander report bullying and harassment due to race, ethnicity, and language.
• Comprehensive sex education addresses these issues by guiding the development of healthy self-identities, challenging harmful stereotypes, and building the skills required for respectful, equitable relationships.
• Young people of color—specifically those from Black , Asian-American , and Latinx communities– are often hyper-sexualized in popular media, leading to societal perceptions that youth are “older” or more sexually experienced than their white peers.
• Young men of color—specifically those from Black and Latinx communities—are often portrayed as aggressive or criminal in popular media, leading to societal perceptions that youth are dangerous or more sexually aggressive or experienced than white peers.
• These media portrayals can lead to disparities in public perceptions of youth behavior , which can impact school discipline, lost mentorship and leadership opportunities, less access to educational opportunities afforded to white peers, and greater involvement in the juvenile justice system.
• Comprehensive sex education addresses these issues by including positive representations of diverse youth in curriculum, challenging harmful stereotypes, and building the skills required for respectful relationships.

A lack of comprehensive sex education can harm youth with disabilities or special health care needs.

• Youth with disabilities need inclusive, developmentally-appropriate, representative sex education to support their health, identity, and development .
• Youth with special health care needs often initiate romantic relationships and sexual behavior during adolescence, similar to their peers.
• Youth with disabilities and special health care needs benefit from seeing themselves represented in sex education to access the information and skills to build healthy identities and relationships.
• Comprehensive sex education addresses this need by including positive representation of youth with disabilities and special health care needs in curriculum and providing developmentally-appropriate sex education to all youth.
• When youth with disabilities and special health care needs do not get access to the comprehensive sex education that they need, they are at increased risk of sexual abuse or being viewed as a sexual offender.
• Youth with disabilities and special health care needs are more likely than peers without disabilities to report coercive sex, exploitation, and sexual abuse.
• Youth with disabilities and special health care needs report more sexualized behavior and victimization online than their peers without disabilities.
• Youth with disabilities are at greater risk of bullying and have fewer friend relationships than their peers.
• Comprehensive sex education addresses these issues by providing education on healthy relationships, consent, communication, and bodily autonomy.

A lack of comprehensive sex education can harm youth who are LGBTQ2S+.

• Most sex education curriculum is not inclusive or representative of LGBTQ2S+ identities and experiences.
• Because school-based sex education often does not meet their needs, youth who are LGBTQ2S+ are more likely to seek sexual health information online , and thus are more likely to come across misinformation.
• The majority of parents support discussion of sexual orientation in sex education classes.
• Comprehensive sex education addresses these issues by including positive representation of LGBTQ2S+ individuals, romantic relationships, and families.
• Sex education curriculum that overlooks or stigmatizes youth who are LGBTQ2S+ contributes to hostile school environments and harms the healthy sexual and mental development .
• Youth who are LGBTQ2S+ face high levels of discrimination at school and are more likely to miss school because of bullying or victimization .
• Ongoing experiences with stigma, exclusion, and harassment negatively impact the mental health of youth who are LGBTQ2S+.
• Comprehensive sex education provides inclusive curriculum and has been shown to improve understanding of gender diversity, lower rates of homophobia, and reduce homophobic bullying in schools.
• Youth who are LGBTQ2S+ are more likely than their heterosexual peers to report not learning about HIV/STIs in school .
• Lack of education on STI prevention leaves LGBTQ2S+ youth without the information they need to make informed decisions, leading to discrepancies in condom use between LGBTQ2S+ and heterosexual youth.
• Some LGBTQ2S+ populations carry a disproportionate burden of HIV and other STIs: these disparities begin in adolescence , when youth who are LGBTQ2S+ do not receive sex education that is relevant to them.
• Comprehensive sex education provides the knowledge and skills needed to make safe decisions about sexual behavior , including condom use and other forms of STI and HIV prevention.
• Youth who are LBGTQ2S+ or are questioning their sexual identity report higher rates of dating violence than their heterosexual peers.
• Youth who are LGBTQ2S+ or are questioning their sexual identity face higher prevalence of bullying than their heterosexual peers.
• Comprehensive sex education teaches youth healthy relationship and communication skills and is associated with decreases in dating violence and increases in bystander interventions .

A lack of comprehensive sex education can harm youth who are in foster care.

• More than 70% of children in foster care have a documented history of child abuse and or neglect.
• More than 80% of children in foster care have been exposed to significant levels of violence, including domestic violence.
• Youth in foster care are racially diverse, with 23% of youth identifying as Black and 21% of identifying as Latinx, who will have similar experiences as those highlighted in earlier sections of this report.
• Removal is emotionally traumatizing for almost all children. Lack of consistent/stable placement with a responsive, nurturing caregiver can result in poor emotional regulation, impulsivity, and attachment problems.
• Comprehensive sex education addresses these issues by providing evidence-based, culturally appropriate information on healthy relationships, consent, communication, and bodily autonomy.

Sex education is often the first experience that youth have with understanding and discussing their gender and sexual health.

Youth deserve to a strong foundation of developmentally appropriate information about gender and sexuality, and how these things relate to their bodies, community, culture, society, mental health, and relationships with family, peers, and romantic partners.

Decades of data have demonstrated that comprehensive sex education programs are  effective  in reducing risk of STIs and unplanned pregnancy. These benefits are critical to public health. However, comprehensive sex education goes even further, by instilling youth with a broad range of knowledge and skills that are  proven  to support social-emotional learning, positive communication skills, and development of healthy relationships.

Last Updated

American Academy of Pediatrics

Sexual Education in Schools

How it works

Elon Musk once said “Failure is an option here. If things are not failing, you are not innovating enough” (“Hondas in Space.”). Sex education is a term that goes over a general collection of topics such as maturity, personal relationships, people skills, sexual manners, sexual health, and society and cultures. The public schools that are required to teach sex education only teach comprehensive sex education. This method correctly delivers information on sexual education. Although some say sex education does not prevent teen pregnancies or unwanted STD’s, sex education should be part of the school curriculum because it accurately educates students on sexual health topics and it stops early sexual behaviors.

Firstly, people do not believe that sex education doesn’t prevent STD’s or unwanted pregnancies. “Eleven (74 percent) showed that comprehensive sex education programs have no impact on teen sex, pregnancies, or STI’s” (“Teen Pregnancies Fall But School Sex Ed Doesn’t Work. Huh?”). A study showed that at the University of Georgia of abstinence only programs had over fifty percent that the sex education does not have any impact on reducing teen pregnancies. This shows that sex education is not effective in preventing teen pregnancies or any STIs. Therefore, sex education has not proved that it reduces teen pregnancies or sexual transmitted diesases in teens. “South Carolina researchers recruited 3,143 teens in more than 20 schools across the state who either did or did not participate in a comprehensive sex education program. After one year, the program showed no benefit” (“Teen Pregnancies Fall But School Sex Ed Doesn’t Work. Huh?”). Sex education can be taught to various of students, but that does not exactly mean it will help reduce unplanned pregnancies or STD’s. Sex education teaches about the effects of unprotected sex but it still has yet to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies and STI’s. On the other hand, however, sex education can properly deliver information to the students.

However, sex education properly and accurately educates students on sexual health topics. “At the middle and secondary level (Grades 7-12), teachers must be certified in health education or hold a school nurse/teacher certificate to teach health education” (“Components of Sexual Health Education”). Thus, meaning that a teacher has to be certified in health education or they have to maintain a school certificate as a nurse/teacher. Experienced teachers or nurses, teaching the class, can clarify that information correlation to sex education will be delivered correctly. “The goal of the National Sexuality Education on Standards: Core Content and Skills, K–12 is: To provide clear, consistent and straightforward guidance on the essential minimum, core content for sexuality education on that is age-appropriate for students in grades K–12” (“Sexual Health Education Curriculum Review”). Setting guidelines and certain topics every instructor has to go over, leaves no room for misinformation to be perceived. Students will only be taught to the standards that the National Sexuality Education on Standards has set. While others will argue that sex education should come from the students parent not public-school systems.

While sex education is taught in public schools, on the other hand parents want to teach their own kids about the topic. “… means there is absolutely no way parents can control – or even find out – what their children are being taught about sex unless they sit in the classroom alongside their children for each and every sex lesson” (“Ten Good Reasons to Oppose Public School Sex Education”). Parents or guardian often do not like the fact that they are not with their personally with their child, while their child is learning about sensitive topics like sex education. “Catholic and Christian students who have been taught by their parents that premarital sex, birth control and abortion are wrong must sit in class and hear an authority figure contradict their beliefs” (“Ten Good Reasons to Oppose Public School Sex Education”). Public schools teaching sex education gets in the way of parents being able to teach their own kids about the matter. Sex education in public schools hinders that relationship between a parent and their kid. Despite parents disapproving public schools teaching about sex education, sex education has been known to delay early sexual activities.

Furthermore, sex education delays early sexual activities. “A recent examination of the National Survey of Family Growth to determine the impact of sexuality education on sexual risk-taking for young people ages 15-19, revealed that teens who received comprehensive sexuality education were 50% less likely to report a pregnancy…” (“Why Support Comprehensive Sexuality Education?”). This shows that sex education can reduce sexual activities in the future of student has received proper sexual, if they have received sex education. “Strong evidence suggests that approaches to sex education that include information about both contraception and abstinence help young people to delay sex, and also to have healthy relationships and avoid STDs and unintended pregnancies when they do become sexually active” (“Fewer U.S. Teens Are Receiving Formal Sex Education Now Than in the Past”). Through sex education in schools, it delays sexual activities within teens. Sex education delays sexual tendencies because the student is aware of the consequences. Likewise, sex education should be a part of the school curriculum.

Sex education is an important part of a student life and needs to be part of every school curriculum. Having well trained and certified teachers educate the course can ensure the student will receive the information that is accurate. This is extremely important because false information regarding sexual topics is can be given to kids. Kids might not be able to make the most fitting choice for themselves, if they do not have scientifically accurate information. Resulting in kids not knowing the safe way to have sex and that can increase higher pregnancies and STDs rates. People think sex education does not reduce unwanted pregnancies or STDs simply because kids will have sex anyways. Yes, kids will have sex if they want too that is a fact, but sex education can help kids in those types of situations how to safely go about sexual behavior. This is why students will only be learning from trained professionals. Another reason why sex education works is because it can help delay sexual activities. The knowledge received in a sex education class, students will be more aware of the consequences that can happen in sexual behaviors. Sex education is extremely important to students because it can influence their decisions about their own sexual health. Their decisions they make based on the information they receive can impact their health for the rest of their lives. Therefore, sex education should be a part of the school curriculum across the nation.

Works Cited:

• Castleman, Michael M.A. “Teen Pregnancies Fall But School Sex Ed Doesn’t Work.
• Huh?” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, 15 Mar. 2017, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/all-about-sex/201703/teen-pregnancies-fall-school-sex-ed-doesn-t-work-huh. Accessed 21 January 2019
• “Components of Sexual Health Education.” CT.gov – Connecticut’s Official State Website, portal.ct.gov/SDE/Publications/Sexual-Health-Education-Component-of-Comprehensive-Health-Education/Components-of-Sexual-Health-Education#anchor 2. Accessed 19 January 2019
• “Fewer U.S. Teens Are Receiving Formal Sex Education Now Than in the Past.”
• Guttmacher Institute, 9 Sept. 2016, www.guttmacher.org/news-release/2016/fewer-us-teens-are-receiving-formal-sex-education-now-past. Accessed 21 January 2019
• Fast Company Staff, Jennifer Reingold. “Hondas in Space.” Fast Company, Fast Company, 2 May 2017, www.fastcompany.com/52065/hondas-space.
• Hidde, Suzanne. “SEXUAL HEALTH EDUCATION CURRICULUM REVIEW.” Sexual Health Education Curriculum Review, 30 June 2011, www.k12.wa.us/HIVSexualhealth/pubdocs/2011SHECurriculumReview.pdf. Accessed 21 January 2019
• “Ten Good Reasons To Oppose Public School Sex Education.”
• CatholicParents OnLine, Catholic Parents OnLine, 22 May 2016, www.catholicparents.org/ten-good-reasons-oppose-public-school-sex-education/. Accessed 23 January 2019
• “Why Support Comprehensive Sexuality Education?” Planned Parenthood,www.plannedparenthood.org/files/6914/0080/0572/2013-04UpdatedWhyCompeSexEd_handout.pdf. Accessed 23 January 2019

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The State of Sex Education in the United States

Kelli stidham hall.

Department of Behavioral Sciences and Health Education, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia

Jessica McDermott Sales

Kelli a. komro, john santelli.

Department of Population & Family Health, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York

For more than four decades, sex education has been a critically important but contentious public health and policy issue in the United States [ 1 – 5 ]. Rising concern about nonmarital adolescent pregnancy beginning in the 1960s and the pandemic of HIV/AIDS after 1981 shaped the need for and acceptance of formal instruction for adolescents on life-saving topics such as contraception, condoms, and sexually transmitted infections. With widespread implementation of school and community-based programs in the late 1980s and early 1990s, adolescents’ receipt of sex education improved greatly between 1988 and 1995 [ 6 ]. In the late 1990s, as part of the “welfare reform,” abstinence only until marriage (AOUM) sex education was adopted by the U.S. government as a singular approach to adolescent sexual and reproductive health [ 7 , 8 ]. AOUM was funded within a variety of domestic and foreign aid programs, with 49 of 50 states accepting federal funds to promote AOUM in the classroom [ 7 , 8 ]. Since then, rigorous research has documented both the lack of efficacy of AOUM in delaying sexual initiation, reducing sexual risk behaviors, or improving reproductive health outcomes and the effectiveness of comprehensive sex education in increasing condom and contraceptive use and decreasing pregnancy rates [ 7 – 12 ]. Today, despite great advancements in the science, implementation of a truly modern, equitable, evidence-based model of comprehensive sex education remains precluded by sociocultural, political, and systems barriers operating in profound ways across multiple levels of adolescents’ environments [ 4 , 7 , 8 , 12 – 14 ].

At the federal level, the U.S. congress has continued to substantially fund AOUM, and in FY 2016, funding was increased to $85 million per year [ 3 ]. This budget was approved despite President Obama’s attempts to end the program after 10 years of opposition and concern from medical and public health professionals, sexuality educators, and the human rights community that AOUM withholds information about condoms and contraception, promotes religious ideologies and gender stereotypes, and stigmatizes adolescents with nonheteronormative sexual identities [ 7 – 9 , 11 – 13 ]. Other federal funding priorities have moved positively toward more medically accurate and evidence-based programs, including teen pregnancy prevention programs [ 1 , 3 , 12 ]. These programs, although an improvement from AOUM, are not without their challenges though, as they currently operate within a relatively narrow, restrictive scope of “evidence” [ 12 ].

At the state level, individual states, districts, and school boards determine implementation of federal policies and funds. Limited in-class time and resources leave schools to prioritize sex education in competition with academic subjects and other important health topics such as substance use, bullying, and suicide [ 4 , 13 , 14 ]. Without cohesive or consistent implementation processes, a highly diverse “patchwork” of sex education laws and practices exists [ 4 ]. A recent report by the Guttmacher Institute noted that although 37 states require abstinence information be provided (25 that it be stressed), only 33 and 18 require HIV and contraceptive information, respectively [ 1 ]. Regarding content, quality, and inclusivity, 13 states mandate instruction be medically accurate, 26 that it be age appropriate, eight that it not be race/ethnicity or gender bias, eight that it be inclusive of sexual orientation, and two that it not promote religion [ 1 ]. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2014 School Health Policies and Practices Study found that high school courses require, on average, 6.2 total hours of instruction on human sexuality, with 4 hours or less on HIV, other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and pregnancy prevention [ 15 ]. Moreover, 69% of high schools notify parents/guardians before students receive such instruction; 87% allow parents/guardians to exclude their children from it [ 15 ]. Without coordinated plans for implementation, credible guidelines, standards, or curricula, appropriate resources, supportive environments, teacher training, and accountability, it is no wonder that state practices are so disparate [ 4 ].

At the societal level, deeply rooted cultural and religious norms around adolescent sexuality have shaped federal and state policies and practices, driving restrictions on comprehensive sexual and reproductive health information, and service delivery in schools and elsewhere [ 12 , 13 ]. Continued public and political debates on the morality of sex outside marriage perpetuate barriers at multiple levels—by misguiding state funding decisions, molding parents’ (mis)understanding of programs, facilitating adolescents’ uptake of biased and inaccurate information in the classroom, and/or preventing their participation in sex education altogether [ 4 , 7 , 8 , 12 – 14 ].

Trends in Adolescents’ Receipt of Sex Education

In this month’s Journal of Adolescent Health , Lindberg et al. [ 16 ] provide further insight into the current state of sex education and the implications of federal and state policies for adolescents in the United States. Using population data from the National Survey of Family Growth, they find reductions in U.S. adolescents’ receipt of formal sex education from schools and other community institutions between 2006–2010 and 2011–2013. These declines continue previous trends from 1995–2002 to 2006–2008, which included increases in receipt of abstinence information and decreases in receipt of birth control information [ 17 – 19 ]. Moreover, the study highlights several additional new concerns. First, important inequities have emerged, the most significant of which are greater declines among girls than boys, rural-urban disparities, declines concentrated among white girls, and low rates among poor adolescents. Second, critical gaps exist in the types of information (practical types on “where to get birth control” and “how to use condoms” were lowest) and the mistiming of information (most adolescents received instruction after sexual debut) received. Finally, although receipt of sex education from parents appears to be stable, rates are low, such that parental-provided information cannot be adequately compensating for gaps in formal instruction.

Paradoxically, the declines in formal sex education from 2006 to 2013 have coincided with sizeable declines in adolescent birth rates and improved rates of contraceptive method use in the United States from 2007 to 2014 [ 20 , 21 ]. These coincident trends suggest that adolescents are receiving information about birth control and condoms elsewhere. Although the National Survey of Family Growth does not provide data on Internet use, Lindberg et al. [ 16 ] suggest that it is likely an important new venue for sex education. Others have commented on the myriad of online sexual and reproductive resources available to adolescents and their increasing use of sites such as Bedsider.org, StayTeen.org, and Scarleteen. [ 2 , 14 , 22 – 24 ].

The Future of Sex Education

Given the insufficient state of sex education in the United States in 2016, existing gaps are opportunities for more ambitious, forward-thinking strategies that cross-cut levels to translate an expanded evidence base into best practices and policies. Clearly, digital and social media are already playing critical roles at the societal level and can serve as platforms for disseminating innovative, scientifically and medically sound models of sex education to diverse groups of adolescents, including sexual minority adolescents [ 14 , 22 – 24 ]. Research, program, and policy efforts are urgently needed to identify effective ways to harness media within classroom, clinic, family household, and community contexts to reach the range of key stakeholders [ 13 , 14 , 22 – 24 ]. As adolescents turn increasingly to the Internet for their sex education, perhaps school-based settings can better serve other unmet needs, such as for comprehensive sexual and reproductive health care, including the full range of contraceptive methods and STI testing and treatment services. [ 15 , 25 ].

At the policy level, President Obama’s budget for FY 2017 reflects a strong commitment to supporting youths’ access to age-appropriate, medically accurate sexual health information, with proposed elimination of AOUM and increased investments in more comprehensive programs [ 3 ]. Whether these priorities will survive an election year and new administration is uncertain. It will also be important to monitor the impact of other health policies, particularly regarding contraception and abortion, which have direct and indirect implications for minors’ rights and access to sexual and reproductive health information and care [ 26 ].

At the state and local program level, models of sex education that are grounded in a broader interdisciplinary body of evidence are warranted [ 4 , 11 – 14 , 27 – 29 ]. The most exciting studies have found programs with rights-based content, positive, youth-centered messages, and use of interactive, participatory learning and skill building are effective in empowering adolescents with the knowledge and tools required for healthy sexual decision-making and behaviors [ 4 , 11 – 14 , 27 – 29 ]. Modern implementation strategies must use complementary modes of communication and delivery, including peers, digital and social media, and gaming, to fully engage young people [ 14 , 22 , 23 , 27 ].

Ultimately, expanded, integrated, multilevel approaches that reach beyond the classroom and capitalize on cutting-edge, youth-friendly technologies are warranted to shift cultural paradigms of sexual health, advance the state of sex education, and improve sexual and reproductive health outcomes for adolescents in the United States.

Acknowledgments

Funding Sources

K.S.H. is supported by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development #1K01HD080722-01A1.

Contributor Information

Kelli Stidham Hall, Department of Behavioral Sciences and Health Education, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia.

Jessica McDermott Sales, Department of Behavioral Sciences and Health Education, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia.

Kelli A. Komro, Department of Behavioral Sciences and Health Education, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia.

John Santelli, Department of Population & Family Health, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York.

Home — Essay Samples — Education — Sex Education — Pros And Cons Of Sexual Education Being Taught In Schools

Pros and Cons of Sexual Education Being Taught in Schools

• Categories: Public School Sex Education

About this sample

Words: 655 |

Published: Dec 16, 2021

Words: 655 | Page: 1 | 4 min read

Works Cited

• Chin, H. B., Sipe, T. A., Elder, R., Mercer, S. L., Chattopadhyay, S. K., Jacob, V., ... & Community Preventive Services Task Force. (2012). The effectiveness of group-based comprehensive risk-reduction and abstinence education interventions to prevent or reduce the risk of adolescent pregnancy, human immunodeficiency virus, and sexually transmitted infections: Two systematic reviews for the Guide to Community Preventive Services. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 42(3), 272-294.
• Kohler, P. K., Manhart, L. E., & Lafferty, W. E. (2008). Abstinence-only and comprehensive sex education and the initiation of sexual activity and teen pregnancy. Journal of Adolescent Health, 42(4), 344-351.
• Lindberg, L. D., Maddow-Zimet, I., & Boonstra, H. (2016). Changes in adolescents’ receipt of sex education, 2006–2013. Journal of Adolescent Health, 58(6), 621-627.
• Morgan, M., Gibbs, S., Maxwell, K., & Britten, N. (2015). Hearing children’s voices? Including children’s perspectives on their experiences of living with parental alcohol problems in assessments and reviews. Child Abuse Review, 24(2), 92-104.
• Planned Parenthood Federation of America. (2021). Sex education: Get real. Retrieved from https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/for-educators/sex-education
• Santelli, J. S., Kaiser Family Foundation, & American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists. (2017). Sex education in America: A view from inside the nation’s classrooms. Journal of Adolescent Health, 61(3), 297-304.
• Schalet, A. T. (2011). Not under my roof: Parents, teens, and the culture of sex. University of Chicago Press.
• SIECUS: Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States. (2021). Comprehensive sexuality education. Retrieved from https://siecus.org/what-we-do/sexuality-education/
• UNESCO. (2018). International technical guidance on sexuality education: An evidence-informed approach. Retrieved from https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000263037
• World Health Organization. (2010). Developing sexual health programmes: A framework for action.

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Prostasia Foundation

Protecting children by upholding the rights and freedoms of all

Sex education makes people safer

I didn’t set out to teach sex education. I intended to be a high school English teacher, and that’s what I became. I moved overseas, taught English, and I loved it, but a few years and graduate degree in Disability Studies later, I saw a posting for a job as a health educator at Family Planning Victoria in Melbourne, Australia, and I applied. There, I specialized in teaching sex education and violence prevention to people with intellectual disabilities, their parents/carers, and professional organizations that served people with intellectual disabilities. I also taught in public and private schools, grades 2 – 12. I found my calling through that job: teaching comprehensive sex education to young people and families.

I found my calling in comprehensive sex education because I’m a survivor of sexual violence, much of which happened in my childhood, and such programs would have made a tremendous difference in my life as a young person. That’s because comprehensive sex education empowers young people to make informed decisions about their bodies and their choices, which collectively result in lower rates of unplanned pregnancy, lower rates of sexuallty transmitted infections, delays in sexual debut, and increases in protective behaviors including condom use, contraception use, and resource identification. It also makes people safer.

Comprehensive sex education can reduce sexual abuse

A recent study showed comprehensive, school-based sex education that promoted refusal skills was an independent protective factor in preventing sexual assault and the authors further hypothesize that “pre-college comprehensive sexuality education, including skills-based training in refusing unwanted sex, may be an effective strategy for preventing sexual assault in college.” That same study identifies risk factors for experiencing sexual assault, including adverse childhood experiences (ACE), and experiencing unwanted sexual contact before college. Taken together, it’s easy to understand why 89% of likely voters believe is it important to have sex education in middle school, and 98% believe it is important to have sex education in high school .

Time and time again, research confirms that comprehensive sex education works, sometimes known as Sexual Risk Reduction Education (SRRE), while abstinence-only sex education, sometimes known as Sexual Risk Avoidance Education (SRAE), does not. Black youth disproportionately receive abstinence-only programming , and is part of a large-scale failure to address equity across sex education programing and services. Given this body of evidence, and the countless testimonials of ineffective abstinence-only programs from young people and adults, alike, our federal government’s continued funding of these programs is a tragedy.

What we can do better

Policymakers need to listen to young people and educators before making decisions about policy and funding. Comprehensive sex education teaches so much more than pregnancy and sexually transmitted infection prevention: done well, it teaches age-appropriate lessons about body awareness, relationship skills, communication skills, negotiation skills, violence prevention, decision-making, self-acceptance, resource identification, and human diversity in grades K – 12.

Curriculums like Unhushed do just that. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must look to curriculums like Be Real. Be Ready, a curriculum created by San Francisco United School District teachers in collaboration with the San Francisco Department of Public Health and the Adolescent Health Working Group when making funding decisions regarding Teen Pregnancy Prevention (TPP) grants.

State lawmakers must work to remove abstinence-only mandates from state law and fight for evidence-based comprehensive sex education. School administrators must adopt the most comprehensive curriculum their district allows. Parents and community members must press school boards to allow comprehensive programs, especially in places where abstinence-only programs dominate.

The message here is clear, comprehensive sex education reduces rates of teen pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, and sexual violence, especially when coupled with affordable and accessible contraception, affordable and accessible reproductive healthcare, and well-resourced community services. Everyone’s future is at stake in this matter. It’s well past time to stop allowing religious influence, propaganda, and societal stigma to inform how we disseminate vital, factual information to minors regarding sex and human sexuality.

Sex education may not have been the goal when I began my career but it has brought healing and hope for the future. My trauma and that of other survivors can’t be rewritten but I can take some solace from knowing I’m doing something with my life that will help others avoid the same fate. Comprehensive sex education can be directly responsible for reducing instances of sexual violence in both adults and children. But this can only happen if we let science and critical thinking win out and comprehensive sex education is widely implemented and normalized.

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I didn’t set out to teach sex education. I intended to be a high school English teacher, and that’s what I became. I moved overseas, taught English, and I loved it, but a few years and graduate degree in Disability Studies later, I saw a posting for a job as a health educator at Family Planning Victoria in Melbourne, Australia, …

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Simple & Easy Sex Education Essay Titles

• The Other Side: the Importance of Sex Education in High School
• The Ongoing Debate Over Sex Education and Its Influence on Our Children
• Why Sex Education for Children Is Very Important
• The Importance of Sex Education in Today’s Schools
• The Religious and Cultural Aspect of Sex Education
• Single Sex Education Are Becoming More Complicated Countries
• Why There Should Be Comprehensive Sex Education in Schools
• The Reasons Why Sex Education Will Help Reduce Teen Pregnancy
• The Importance and Need for Sex Education to Deal with Teenage Pregnancy
• What Sex Education Topics Are Most Effective in Elementary Schools
• Gender Discrimination for Single Sex Education
• How Sex Education Can Change Teenage Sexual Behaviour
• Why Teens Need Comprehensive Sex Education

Good Essay Topics on Sex Education

• The Importance of Sex Education in America and to American Teenagers
• The Main Features of Sex Education in Traditional Societies and Its Importance
• The Effects of State‐Mandated Abstinence‐Based Sex Education on Teen Health Outcomes
• Why Sex Education Should Be Taught in Schools
• The Issue of Teaching Sex Education in Public Schools
• The Importance of Teaching Sex Education and Homosexuality
• The Three Forms of Sex Education in the United States
• The Inclusion of Sex Education in the School Curriculum
• When Values Clash with Faith: Sex Education in Religious Based Schools”
• What Are the Pros and Cons of Sex Education in Hong Kong Secondary Schools
• Should Sex Education Be Increased in Schools to Curb Problems in Society?
• The Impact of Single Sex Education on Girl ‘S Academic Performance
• The Need for a Comprehensive Sex Education in American Schools
• The Benefits of Sex Education in Public Schools
• Why High schools Should Have Sex Education Starting Freshman Year

Research Questions About Sex Education

• What Age Should Sex Education Be Taught?
• How Should Sex Education Be Taught?
• What Are the Pros and Cons of Sex Education in Hong Kong Secondary Schools?
• Can Single-Sex Education Improve Students’ Academic Achievement in Middle School?
• What Sex Education Topics Are Most Effective in Elementary Schools?
• Has the Media and School-Based Sex Education Reduced the Prevalence of Sexually Transmitted Diseases?
• Why Should High schools Have Sex Education Starting Freshman Year?
• Does Sex Education Influence Sexual and Reproductive Behaviour of Women?
• Why Is Same-Sex School Education Better?
• How Far Should Schools Teach Sex Education?
• Why Is Sex Education for Children Very Important?
• Does Sex Education Work?
• Why Should Sex Education Be Taught in Schools?
• How Can Sex Education Change Teenage Sexual Behaviour?
• Why Do Teens Need Comprehensive Sex Education?
• Will You Choose CoEd or Single-Sex Education?
• Our Current Sex Education, Why Doesn’t It Work?
• Demand for Sexual Services in Britain: Does Sex Education Matter?
• Co-Education and Single-Sex Education: Which Will Benefit Children More?
• Why Do Teens Need Sex Education?
• When Values Clash with Faith: Sex Education in Religious Based Schools?
• Should LGBT History Be Taught in Schools?
• Which City or Country Has Sexual Education for Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder?
• How to Educate the 4th-6th Elementary Student About Sex?
• How Successful Is Abstinence-Only Sex Education in Reduce Teen Pregnancy?
• Is Introduction Sex Education in Schools Useful?
• Does the School Provide Enough Information on Sex Education?

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