Sex Education

By: Jennifer Elmasry & Kelly Efferson

What is Sex Education?
Sex Education is the basic term
that is used to describe Sexuality
in Education. These programs are
designed to educate students
about emotional relations and
responsibilities by using the human
sexual anatomy.
When Should It Be taught? What Would happen?
-Elementary School

(Too Young, too much to grasp)

-Middle School

(Perfect time! Not too late to

understand)

-High School

(Too late something happened or

they dont care)
How Sex Education Should Be taught?
Coed: Separate Sex:

1. Uncomfortable for 1. Appropriate for your

both sexes audience
2. They lack Maturity 2. Better Learning
3. The Lesson may be Environment
less effective 3. Less stress and not
awkward
Topics That Are Covered In Sex Education:
Topics that will be covered are:

1. How to create and maintain healthy and respectful relationships.

2. Influences from, family, friends, peers, and technology dealing with sex
3. How to prevent pregnancy or getting someone pregnant.
4. AIDS/HIV, STDS and HPV
5. Sexual Abstinence
6. How condoms are effective
7. How to use condoms
8. Where to get condoms
9. Helping others to avoid sex
10. The importance of limiting partners
11. How to maintain reproductive and sexual health
12. Tobacco Use
State Policies On Sexual Education In the Public Schools

-Sexual Education is mainly taught in the middle school

and high schools. They are required to include the
sexual health education and comprehensive health
education.

-Sexual Education is always geared towards the needs

of the students and the grade level.

-New York requires that we educate our children from

grades k-12.
State Policies on sexual education continued
-Parents and Guardians must be notified by the school when their child is
scheduled for comprehensive education, and sexual health education.

-The school must send the parents a notification letter.

-The parents do have the right to have their child leave the classroom
during that time. They must simply write a letter to the principal. The
parent would have to include in the letter that they are teaching the child
at home about sex education.
Parents Involvement in Sex Education and Sex
- Parents are the key partners in
education. They have a strong
influence on voting, being advocates,
and volunteers in public education.
- Studies have shown that adolescents
who are connected to their families
and have a good home life are most
likely to delay sexual intercoruse and
drug use.
- Communication, rules and firmness
can help guide your children towards
success.
How Sexual Education Has Helped Our Schools
Sexual Education is needed in our schools to promote:

- Offer appropriate sexual health safe information in an appropriate

positive environment.
- It helps the students to avoid false information about sex. It also
explains how sexually transmitted diseases can occur.
- The educators are well trained and they are using the activities
designed to be effective.
- It helps to Prevent negative outcomes such as pregnancy.
Teachers View On Sexual Education:
- When it comes to teaching a life changing behavior in sexual education it is
important who is teaching it to you. For years schools have been relying on a
outside sources to teach sensitive subjects.
- Studies have shown that when the teacher taught the lesson versus an
outside source the behavior was modified or changed. Students are more
inclined to trust someone they know.
- When their is a good relationship between student and teacher the student
will be motivated to listen and learn. The most important time frame for
teacher and student relationship is adolescence.
 Only in the past hundred years has sex
education become something that is
mandatory and state sponsored. Surprising?
The Evolution of Sex Education
Talk about sex is Historically, the chief concern in educating
students about sex was aimed at discouraging
something that has those students from engaging in any sexual acts
had a long history outside of the confines of marriage (Carter 215).

of trouble in -As a result, sex education as a public

movement was aimed at social control.
America. Educating
our future Educators tried to keep their students
chaste by emphasizing the dangers of venereal
generations about disease (Carter 215).
sex has therefore
Regardless, early twentieth-century sex
been a hotly debated educators were reluctant to speak about sexual
subject. acts, even in the interest of controlling them
(Irvine 4).
The Evolution of Sex Education cont.
Whose responsibility was it?

In the early 19th century, some activists argued that it was up to the mother to
teach their children about the sanctities and the terrors of this awful power of
sex (Irving 6).

In the early 20th century, social hygienists endorse sex education in the schools as
a way to combat venereal disease (Irving 6).

For the next several years sex education in American

schools became a huge issue. How do we conduct it?
What is the goal? What do we cover?
A step in the right direction...

In 1964 the Sex Information and Education Council of the

United States (SIECUS) was founded (Irving 7).

This council is made up of professional advocates, parents, and

educators.

Since its establishment it has largely become the institutional

voice of advocacy for sex education in American schools.
SIECUS defines a clearer path of Sex
Education in American schools
Pioneered a model for
comprehensive sexuality
So, aside from the obvious
education in which young why are these topics
people would receive; important to address in the
classroom to students of
Age appropriate information on
various ages?
a range of topics such as
human reproduction, anatomy,
physiology, and sexually
transmitted infections.
Topics eventually expanded
to include issues such as
masturbation and
homosexuality. (Irving 7)
 Fast forwarding to the
present and the future
How is sex education functioning today and
what is to come?

The sexuality education initiative: Los Angeles, California

Focused on a detailed study detailing the results of adding a

comprehensive sexuality education in California since 2004.

It replaced a patchwork of confusing statues set in place

with two clear standards to be met;
1. To provide students with the knowledge and skills
necessary to protect their sexual and reproductive
health from unintended pregnancy and sexually
transmitted infections (Marques 125).

1. The encouragement to develop healthy attitudes

concerning adolescent growth and development, body
image, gender roles, sexual orientation, dating,
marriage, and family (Marques 125).
 So what were the results? What does this
inform us about sex education in schools?
Basically, talking comprehensively about sexuality is GOOD for students!

Many benefits observed:

Increased understanding that men and women have equal rights regarding sexual
relationships & sexual reproductive health.
Increased communication about relationships, rights, and sexuality with
parents/guardians/trusted adults.
Increased access to accurate information about sexuality,sexual health, and sexual risk
protection.
Increased self-efficacy to assert sexual limits to manage risky situations and increased
intentions to protect oneself from sexual risk.
Increased access to and awareness of sexual reproductive health services (All Marques
127).
 So, why is sex education
considered a critical issue
of education?
1. The discursive politics of sex education come
To conclude:
alive in how Americans debate what young
people should learn in public schools.
2. The standards for sex education will change Modify
as frequently as our society changes.
Sex education needs to constantly be modified to fit
the pace of society and fit the needs of our youth,
it will never be concisely decided.

3. Teaching about sex and sexuality will always Adapt

be loaded topic, never likely that all will

agree in regards to its operation.
Resources:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/10/nyregion/in-new-york-city-a-new-mandate-on-sex-
education.html?mcubz=

https://www.sciencedaily.com/terms/sex_education.htm

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080804114258.htm

http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/publications/publications-a-z/2390-sexuality-education

Carter, J. B. (2001). Birds, Bees, and Venereal Disease: Toward an Intellectual History of Sex Education.
Journal Of The History Of Sexuality, 10(2), 213.

Irvine, J. M. (2004). Talk about sex: The battles over sex education in the United States. Univ of California
Press.

Marques, M., & Ressa, N. (2013, May). The Sexuality Education Initiative: a programme involving teenagers,
schools, parents and sexual health services in Los Angeles, CA, USA. Retrieved September 26,
2017, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23684195