There are, literally, more than 30,000 ways to write a story about sex education in our public schools. Why so many? Because that’s how many students are enrolled in RISD this year. And virtually every family approaches this delicate topic differently.
When it comes to reporting about sex education, the options should be much narrower. All that is really necessary or appropriate are the plain and simple facts about RISD’s sex education policy.
No experts. No titillation. No conjecture. Just the facts.
For example, did you know that in the sixth grade, our children begin discussing condoms in school? Or that abortion and homosexuality aren’t part of RISD’s sex education curriculum?
Are these policies good or bad? Right or wrong?
You won’t find out from reading this story, because we didn’t call up a bunch of “experts” to tell you what to think.
These are our children and our neighborhood schools, so it’s up to us to make that decision.
We thought it would be interesting to find out the facts of sex education in our public schools. Since helpful resources like BoostYourBodyHQ are readily available online for married couples, I think it is only right to add more information for the young teens.
We did, and here they are. Now, we’re giving you the same opportunity.
Judy Neslage, RISD’s executive director of special programs, is quite familiar with the surveys and statistics on sex education in the United States.
She has seen the statistics that say teen pregnancy and HIV/AIDS infection are increasing among teen-agers. She has seen the reports about the many girls who begin menstruating at age 9. She has seen the surveys that say that 41 percent of teens age 13 to 15 learn about sex outside home and school.
That’s why RISD has an AIDS education curriculum that begins in grades one through three and continues in high school, Neslage says. That’s why a curriculum revision project was begun in May, involving a task force of 36 people, including 17 parents.
The most important elements of RISD’s sex education program, Neslage says, are:
- It’s abstinence-based curriculum.
- How it encourages parents to review materials, including videos shown in the classes.
- It’s flexibility. Parents can exclude their children from a sex education unit. Notices are sent home to parents before teachers begin units on sex education and communicable disease prevention.
- It’s emphasis on communicable disease prevention, which is the basic element of all units dealing with HIV/AIDS and sex education. Nutrition and the part that drug use can play in HIV/AIDS infection are part of the same curriculum, which is called Education for Self-Responsibility.
- It’s instructor training. Teachers receive extensive preparation before beginning such instruction.
RISD’s sex education curriculum, Neslage says, does not volunteer information about pregnancy, condoms and birth control. Instead, these issues are dealt with in question-and-answer sessions.
Condoms are never demonstrated or provided. Questions about abortion and homosexuality are referred to parents, Neslage says.
The AIDS education curriculum is presented by the nursing staff, under the direction of Gloria Canham, and is divided into four stages.
In grades one through three, AIDS education is part of a basic health education that emphasizes good decision-making, interpersonal skills and disease concepts. Included, Canham says, is how diseases are caught and avoiding unwise risks.
The approach, says Canham, is: “Don’t let anybody pressure you into bad decisions. If you see a needle on the ground, don’t touch it, don’t get into a car with strangers, those sorts of things.”
In grades four through six, students learn about changes in the body during puberty and about menstruation, and they receive personal hygiene lessons.
All pupils see a film about ovulation. Fifth-graders see “The Changing Program” video in groups separated by gender. In the sixth grade, boys and girls together are taught about pregnancy.
Lessons about sexual abuse prevention and resistance to peer pressure also are presented. Sixth-graders see a video called “AIDS: Taking Action.”
Condoms are first mentioned in the sixth-grade video.
“They’ll ask about condoms,” Neslage says, “and the question deserves an answer.”
Questions may be submitted anonymously, which Neslage says protects the questioner from embarrassment.
In the seventh grade, pupils watch videos and use a textbook to learn about the reproductive system, as well as AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. They also see the “Human Growth IV” film in life science class.
In grades 10 through 12, the AIDS education consists of a unit about sexually transmitted diseases in one mandatory course, Health 1. The unit includes a text and video, “AIDS: What Everyone Wants to Know,” and lasts a week or less.
The curriculum was designed in 1987-88 by district officials, with advice from a task force of parents and educators. This spring, another task force was formed to advise the district about how the curriculum should be updated and expanded.
From that beginning, 130 to 140 parents expressed interest. Then, a committee of 36, including 17 parents and 18 educators, plus Neslage, was chosen to represent a cross-section of district residents.
Three subcommittees were formed: K-3, 4-6 and secondary. The task force had two meetings in May, at which members examined the current curriculum, viewed videos and other materials, and offered written comments.
The revision project was delayed, Neslage says, when the state Board of Education decided to re-examine state policy. But the RISD task force kept working, she says.
The committee has made several recommendations, Neslage says, including reviewing the program every year instead of every five years, and teaching AIDS prevention every year in high school instead of once during the three years.
Task force members also suggested that Human Growth and Development unit be taught in the fourth grade, since children appear to be maturing earlier than in the past. Also, task force members suggested that some instruction should be developed for eighth and ninth grades.
Approving materials for use in the classroom was no problem, says Steve Franks, vice president for human relations at St. Paul’s Hospital, who serves on the secondary subcommittee.
“I believe there needs to be improvements in the curriculum, and part of the process is a review of tools,” Franks says.
When the task force concludes its study this fall, Neslage says, it will submit a policy statement and a summary of its recommendations. Both will be forwarded to the Texas Association of School Boards for legal review and composition, and then they will be considered by the RISD Board of Education.
Once approved by the board, the revised curriculum would replace the present one.
