Why schools can't teach sex ed

[Independent voter]

Sex education has always been controversial in the US. Local neighborhoods have a lot of influence in what happens at schools, much more than the national government. School taxes are raised locally.

Very long article here:

why-schools-cant-teach-sex-ed/

In spring 2014, parents in the normally progressive Bay Area city of Fremont, California, started a campaign to get a book removed from the 9th grade curriculum for the five district high schools, arguing it was inappropriate for their 13 and 14-year olds. They hired a local lawyer and put together a petition with more than 2500 signatures.

Their target: Your Health Today, a sex-ed book published by McGraw Hill. It offers the traditional advice and awkward diagrams plus some considerably more modern tips: a how-to for asking partners if they’ve been tested for STDs, a debate on legalizing prostitution. And then there was this: “[One] kind of sex game is bondage and discipline, in which restriction of movement (e.g. using handcuffs or ropes) or sensory deprivation (using blindfolds or masks) is employed for sexual enjoyment. Most sex games are safe and harmless, but partners need to openly discuss and agree beforehand on what they are comfortable doing.”

“I was just astounded,” says Fremont mom Teri Topham. “My daughter is 13. She needs to know how boys feel. I frankly don’t want her debating with other 13-year-olds how well the adult film industry is practicing safe sex.” Another parent, Asfia Ahmed, who has eight and ninth grade boys, adds: “It assumes the audience is already drinking alcohol, already doing drugs, already have multiple sexual partners…Even if they are experimenting at this age, it says atypical sexual behaviors are normal. ”

But school board members contend that 9th grade students have already been exposed to the contents of the book—and much, much more. They argue that even relatively modern sex ed has even not begun to reckon with what kids are now exposed to in person and online.

[apepi]

If they will not learn it in school, they will learn it(or not learn it and get hurt) from somewhere else. If it is either have it or not, I would have my(if I had one) have it.

[Deleted]

Sex should be taught in school.

13-15 is the age when kids discover and do le sexy, "normally"

So better give them the knowledge before bad things happen

[RaoBurning]

Oh look, parents who don't know about the Internet. Bondage is probably a bit touchy, but I'm of the opinion that more discussion is better than less. Beats abstinence only nonsense, at any rate.

[Wildtree]

so sad. so backasswards.
sex ed should be a fundamental class starting at 5th/6th grade... anything else is a recipe or disaster

[roflwaffle]

moving this particular book up a few grades makes sense honestly, that's a little more than need to know at that level really.

[Criz]

Its just funny that the MORE sex ed is taught the MORE younger people have sex. But yes we must teach it in school because thats where children should learn about it not from parents. Parents should do nothing more than provide some food bed and an iphone other than that the schools AKA government should teach children everything about how to be a human. Because our elected officials are prime examples of decent human beings. am i right ?

[Wildtree]

Its just funny that the MORE sex ed is taught the MORE younger people have sex. But yes we must teach it in school because thats where children should learn about it not from parents. Parents should do nothing more than provide some food bed and an iphone other than that the schools AKA government should teach children everything about how to be a human. Because our elected officials are prime examples of decent human beings. am i right ?

I detect sarcasm?
Yes it is school mandate to teach sex ed, it is part of biology class, which is the school's job to teach.
Parents aren't reliable for that matter. As we see from the example..
I've had sex ed already 45 yrs ago in school.... one would think countries catching up at some point, especially when they claim for themselves to be a modern nation..

[Dys]

Teaching Sex ED is fine.

Teaching BDSM is crossing a line.

[Ahhdurr]

Teaching Sex ED is fine.

Teaching BDSM is crossing a line.

Ball gags and gimp masks for all children!

[Sykol]

If schools aren't going to teach our children how to play the Choking Game, who is?

[Deleted]

Sex education was thought in 3 of my subjects when i was in school ( First 3 years in secondary school, when i was around 12-14 ) Science, Home Economics and SPHE ( Social Personal and health education )

[Gumboy]

We had sex ed in fifth grade in my school, girls and boys seperate the first couple days. Was nothing kinky or anything obviously.

[Itisamuh]

Its just funny that the MORE sex ed is taught the MORE younger people have sex.

This seems like common sense to me. I would not want my child exposed to that stuff any earlier than necessary, especially in such detail. Explaining about STDs and pregnancy is fine, but why in the world do they need to know about BDSM or prostitution? All it will do is make them curious.

[Ossandran]

Pretty sure I skipped the grade they taught sex ed in, and I figured it out just fine. Maybe we should have "Stop smoking, doing drugs, being little whores, and making a point to cuss like a sailor" classes for middle schoolers

[Wildtree]

This seems like common sense to me. I would not want my child exposed to that stuff any earlier than necessary, especially in such detail. Explaining about STDs and pregnancy is fine, but why in the world do they need to know about BDSM or prostitution? All it will do is make them curious.

Curiosity comes from not knowing.... Not from knowledge.

[Ossandran]

Curiosity comes from not knowing.... Not from knowledge.

yeah, but ignorance is bliss

[ongal]

I'd argue that before worrying about how sex ed is taught in schools we should work at progressing towards a society that is not only allowed to, but accepted (no judgement) to be naked in public. Makes no sense that a penis and breast is for some reason supposed to be hidden, while an arm or leg isn't?

[Prokne]

I think the problem is that some of the sex types in the book are too specific. Its like teaching kids how to have sex. All they need to say is: there are many ways to have sex and what really matters is that both partners enjoy it. And then you scare them with STDs and they will either use protection or wont have sex.

Sex ed needs to be taught earlier than 7th grade though. More like 4th-5th grade when kids are 8-9 years old and just starting puberty. The point of sex ed is to teach kids about puberty and living in their soon to be adult bodies.

[Kellhound]

It should emphasize all the BAD things about sex. The best sex ed class I ever has was the one the US Navy had about STDs. Every 14yo boy being afraid his appendage was going to fall off, feel like razor blades are being shoved up it, or any of the other "fun" effects of STDs would only be a good thing.