What Every Parent Needs To Know About Sex Ed

By Marcia Segelstein, NC Register:

Since October, parents in Omaha have been battling with the city’s school board over proposed changes to the sex education curriculum. Impassioned parents and grandparents voiced their objections loudly and clearly to the “comprehensive” sex ed program the school board had proposed. Since 1985 sex ed at Omaha public schools has been taught as part of a course called Human Growth and Development.  Among other changes, the new program will add discussion of two items to the tenth grade curriculum: abortion and emergency contraception.

But it’s not just those two hot-button topics that are upsetting parents. “Comprehensive” sex ed, as opposed to “abstinence-based” sex ed, provides kids with a smorgasbord of ways to give and receive sexual pleasure.  Students are taught about the risks of sexual activity, and encouraged to reduce those risks.  Condoms, in particular, are heavily stressed.  Abstinence is almost always mentioned, but only as one choice among many.

I remember being taken completely by surprise when my then-9th grader described students putting condoms on bananas in health class.  There had been no warning given to parents—not even a clue that sex ed was included in the curriculum.  So when it came to my younger child, who happened to attend a different school, I took a proactive approach.  The health teacher there was sympathetic about my concerns and willingly described the curriculum.  She told me that students were taught the “three different types of sex,” how best to reduce the transmission of sexually transmitted infections, and shown various types of birth control, including condoms.  Abstinence was one part of the discussion; marriage and morality (heaven forbid!) were not. Thankfully she was also willing to accommodate my desire that my child not participate.  Had I not asked, however, I never would have known about any of it.