Students in middle school and high school, in Greensboro, NC, are now getting in-depth sexual educations. The school board has passed the change last year, and it is now coming into effect.
Education will now include information about contraceptives, STDS and STIS, knowledge about emergency contraceptives (i.e. the ‘morning-after-pill’), and teachers will now tell students where they are able to go get tested for pregnancies and STIS. Past sex-ed taught only abstinence, and briefly went over contraceptives.
Parents will be alerted when the sex education begins for their child, and they may remove their child from the class if they so wish. Studies have shown that the more in-depth the education, the lower the numbers of teen pregnancies and sex related illnesses there are. The new program will also be going over what makes a relationship healthy, and what relationship abuse is, and how to combat it. Unfortunately, the program is only recognizing heterosexual relationships. In a recent news article, some parents disagreed with leaving out homosexual relationships:
Greensboro residents David and Jean Parker are members of a national group called Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays. The Parkers say they’re disappointed to see homosexuality and transgender left out of the law but know that it wouldn’t have passed otherwise. It’s a sacrifice they say they and others are willing to make to see stronger sex education in schools.
Most parents are happy with the fact that their children are learning about the problems sex can cause and how to be safe if they partake in it. Some still feel the school has no right to teach their children about sex: ““We’re having trouble teaching kids to read and write. How are we going to do any better teaching sex education?” Paul Daniels asked.’’
Hopefully, Greensboro, NC will serve as an example for other schools to follow; giving students the information they need to make informed decisions, and to protect themselves. If the North Carolina school’s program shows a noticeable decline in sexual problems in students, more schools will be more likely to add this program as well.