There is always a shift of uncomfortableness in the room when you talk about sex. More specifically sex and children. It’s as if the world thinks that children will never have to grow up one day and become adults who have sex. Society often finds itself making sex a bad thing for children. Parents are finding it harder and harder to talk to their children about sex and they most certainly do not want others talking to them about it either. Which brings up a fairly simple question: should sex education be required for all public schools? Sex education should be required for all public schools because students in today’s society need to be well educated on this pressing issue.
When discussing sex education we automatically assume that someone will be teaching kids the infamous “birds and the bees” conversation, but in order to have that talk, you must first understand what exactly sex education is. Sex education is high quality teaching and learning about a broad variety of topics related to sex and sexuality, exploring values and beliefs about those topics and gaining the skills that are needed to navigate relationships and manage one’s own sexual health. Sex education opens the doors for all the conversations we don’t really want to have, but we definitely need to have. Sex education should be taught to students because there are just some things that parents don’t know.
Often times parents believe discussing sex with their children will encourage them to have sex, this isn’t necessarily true. Children explore sex because they have questions that were either not properly answered or they were just too afraid to ask. Being in a safe, comfortable environment such as a classroom with their peers could prompt children to ask more questions and not be as intimated to talk to their parents about sex.
I feel as if there is a pressing need to talk about sex education in public schools, because these children are often the ones affected the most by things such as teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Children who attend public school systems do not have the same resources as those who attend private schools. Public school systems are looked over because a lot of the children who attend them are at risk youth. These children don’t come from two parent households and they don’t come from stability. So to give them the knowledge about how to protect themselves in whatever the case may be, is to give them a chance at having a better, safer and much healthier future.
Statistics say that 3.2 million teenage girls between ages 14 and 19 have one or more of four different STDs. 1 out of every 4 abortions is committed in a Planned Parenthood facility. All of these numbers could take a drastic drop if sex education was implemented in all public schools. The stats do not lie. Sex education in school can change just so much. These kids could gain knowledge that they never knew existed.
There are many initiatives that could be taken to implement sex education into the public school system. Ideas such as getting the parents involved in the sex education classes could make a major difference. Not only would the parents feel like they had a more hands on approach they would also like the idea of being there with their children. I think it would also build a bridge to making major steps in both relationships. Another great idea would be to get ideas from the students. The more you show them that you value their opinions and you want to make them as comfortable as possible within limitations these kids will instantly start opening up to you.
The positive outcome of sex education in public schools is endless. Sex is natural and it is nothing that one should feel ashamed of. While there can be many good things about sex, there are also bad things that everyone deserves to know. Students in the public school systems deserve to know just as much as children who go to private school. Their environment shouldn’t determine whether or not they receive proper sex education. I believe that sexual education is very important to learn. If kids start to have sex without any education it can lead to unprotected sex which can cause unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. Public schools should however tell kids that it is best they wait until they are of age to engage in sexual activities.
School is the place that people go to learn facts, science, math, english and etc. Sexual reproduction is a scientific fact, and there is information about the process that is not necessarily common knowledge to all parents. Why should we leave out this system when teaching about the human body? What better place to get factual information about the sexual process than a biology class? If parents want to talk about the moral aspects of sex with their children, then that is something that should be done outside of the classroom. Inside the classroom all facts no matter how distasteful or embarrassing some people think they are should be discussed. Maybe if we discussed more natural processes in this way we wouldn't have so many societal problems. Children are a reflection of what they see, so at some point we have to ask ourselves what we are really showing them.
Sex education laws vary greatly among the states. Most states have laws that address some form of sexual education in schools, differing between what may or may not be taught and whether a parent may prevent a child from receiving sexual education. The majority of states allow parents to remove their child or "opt out" of sexually-related instruction, while other states require parental consent for a child to take sexual education classes or participate in any school-based health clinic services.
Often, the states that do not currently have sexual education laws on the books, sexual education policies can typical be found in district codes or other education department manuals. Still other states allow local authorities to decide whether parents may opt-out or provide consent for a child's participation in sex education classes. Sex education in schools was meant to curb unwanted pregnancies and address public health concerns, such as teen pregnancy and STDs. Even so, the idea of teaching young people about sex in schools caused a backlash among those who believed it was best left to the parents.State laws tried to address these concerns by allowing parents to exempt their children from sex education courses or by including abstinence methods within its curriculum.
There are several arguments for and against the teaching of sex education in schools. Supporters claim that exposure to such information, including STDs and the proper use of contraceptives, lowers teen pregnancy and STD infection rates. In addition, they argue that most teenagers are either already sexually active or are curious and that many of them are not receiving such information from their parents, claiming public schools are a proper venue for sex education. As such, these supporters typically favor a more comprehensive approach that includes detailed description of a female and male genitals, for example. Opponents of sex education in schools, on the other hand, claim that the state has no business teaching their children about sex, either because they prefer to teach their children according to their own values or because they object to certain controversial subjects, such as sexual orientation.
However, opponents of sex education in schools typically favor an abstinence-only approach (for example, the idea that you should wait until marriage before having sex) if there is to be any sex education taught at all.
Much of the debate today is centered on whether schools should teach abstinence-only or comprehensive sex education. Those favoring an abstinence-only approach correctly point out that abstinence is the only way to prevent pregnancy and STDs with 100 percent certainty. They also point out the emotional complexities that often accompany an active sex life.
Teaching children about sex should be easy. Why make it hard by not letting every child have access to proper sex education. So many bad things can come from lack of sex education. It should be in public school systems so that kids know all the outcomes of being sexually active. It isn’t something that kids should feel ashamed of, it’s completely natural, and if handled the proper way could be very educational.
In conclusion, throughout this research process it was not as hard as I thought it would be. However, finding out more information on sexual education was very interesting to me. I say that it was interesting to me because all of the research and statistics that has been developed was unbelievable in numbers. I did not honestly realize how much this pressing issue topic could be affected in today’s society if not carefully prepared and watched. However, after researching and writing this paper I am more aware of what sexual education is and my mind is clearer on sexual education.