Sex Education in Schools To what extent should the schools be responsible for teaching sex education? To what extent should sex education be left to parents? Who should handle education about STDs?

Sexual education cannot be relegated to parents alone. Schools have a responsibility to educate the next generation, including in personal health. Schools also have a responsibility to educate children in societal norms. While parents are free to indoctrinate students at home in whatever religion parents choose, just as parents can educate their children in whatever particular political philosophy parents choose, it is impossible to instill children with a completely objective and values-free education. Just as schools teach students to be good citizens, they also must teach students about responsible sexual practices, including the need for contraception. There is so much misinformation about contraception, particularly given the proliferation of dubious health information on the Internet, students need to learn credible information from medical experts. They should also be taught how to filter out erroneous messages online.

According to Mónica (2002), in a meta-analysis of abstinence-only sexual education programs, no significant reduction in sexual initiation was observed in students who participated in abstinence-focused programs versus those who provided them with appropriate contraceptive...

“The effects of the interventions in promoting abstinent behavior reported in 12 controlled studies were included in the meta-analysis. The results of the analysis indicated a very small overall effect of the interventions in abstinent behavior” (Mónica, 2002, p.471), Given the need to reduce the prevalence of STDs in society as well as teenage pregnancy, teens should have the full range of options and information available so they can make mature choices. While schools may permit teens to opt out due to personal convictions, they must (just as they must provide mainstream, accepted information about science and history) have a standardized curriculum and sexual education is an appropriate part of that curriculum. All schools make choices about what they must include and exclude as part of the framework of what the average person should know, and knowing how to protect one’s self is an appropriate part of that education.
WC: 320

References

Mónica S. (2002). The effectiveness of school-based sex education programs in the promotion of abstinent behavior: a meta-analysis. Health Education Research, 17(4) 471-481. Retrieved from: https://academic.oup.com/her/article/17/4/471/590928

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