I can not believe we are still having this conversation...kids need to be taught sexual education. Research has time and time again shown the benefits of teaching children about sex, safety practices and healthy relationship early and often throughout their childhood.
Apparently Alaska didn't get the memo. They do not teach sex ed as part of the public school system.
And does it surprise any of you that Alaska has the highest rate of rate and sexual violence in the country?
3 times the national average!
This article only gets worse as residents of Alaska talk about the normalization of sexual violence in the home, with almost no heads turning at the mention that the woman next door gets beat up my her husband on a daily basis!
THIS NEEDS TO CHANGE! And it starts with sex ed. and a change in attitude towards sexual violence.
http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/05/opinion/sutter-alaska-sex-ed/index.html?iref=allsearch
Very good points brought up. In addition, schools need permission to talk to children about anything. We teach second step at the schools I am at and it has nothing to do with sex per say, you would not believe the amount of parents that refuse to sign the paper for their kids.
ReplyDeleteThe more it is socially acceptable and a public conversation the more normalized it is to students of any age. This all just creates more of a need for us to teach students safety.
This topic has been heavily debated for years, and it is one that I feel that schools will never truly come to an agreement on. Melissa, I completely agree that the needs and opinions of the community can greatly influence some parts of school's curricula. The small public school that I attended, for example, was extremely conservative and never taught sex education. Some private schools choose to teach abstinence only due to the belief that teaching comprehensive sex ed will encourage sexual activity, while some schools elect to teach everything from proper contraceptive use to how to say "no" to pressure.
ReplyDeleteSchools may never reach a consensus on the way in which they teach sex ed, which presents barriers for policy changes, however there is undoubtedly a strong need for communication between parents and their children on this issue. If parents are unwilling to talk with their children about safe sex practices, and are unwilling to allow their children to speak with health teachers or other educators, where are children getting their knowledge base? Are their sources trustworthy? Or is there potential that the information and advice they are given could be inaccurate?
Becca brings up a very good point that this topic has been heavily debated for years and will continue to be so. To some extent, I believe parents should have rights to what their children are learning. However, why should a parent have the right to deny their child sexual education but not biology, chemistry or history. Sexual education should not be considered different just because it contains sensitive material.
ReplyDeleteAgreed, the fact of the matter is kids are going to engage in sexual activity at some point. Moreover, if schools do not education them on healthy sexual activity, in turn kids will look to their peers for advice. Often times, peers give incorrect information, which leads to risky sexual activity. In addition, I agree with Stacy, parents do not have the right to refuse children not be taught about biology or history. As a parent what if I do not agree with what the teacher teaches my child about evolution or slavery? I do not have the right to pull my child from that course without some negative consequence. Furthermore, the same should be true for sexual education. Besides, maybe this would force parents to play a more active role in educating their children about sex. After all research does show that adolescents are more likely to engage in sexual activity later and practice safe sexual habits when parents openly talk about sex education.
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