School Board in Edmonton, Canada Calls for More Comprehensive Sex Ed
Folks on the Edmonton Public Schools board in Alberta, Canada discussed sex education at their latest meeting, amid concerns that what was already being offered was sub-par. At the meeting, board members passed a motion to call on the Alberta government for “more comprehensive, medically based, age-appropriate sex education to be incorporated into the provincial curriculum.”
Pilot Sex Ed Program in Quebec Not Yet Ready for Wider Implementation
Meanwhile, in Quebec, a two-year pilot project on sexual education is coming to an end, after being tested in 19 schools across the province. The result? Experts feel it’s not yet ready for proper implementation, and that they need more time to acquire more teaching tools and other resources.
Alabama Moves to Strike Anti-Gay Language from Sex Ed Policy
Lawmakers in Alabama voted to remove anti-gay language from the state’s sex education policy. If the motion is passed through the Senate, a passage would be struck from the current education codes that states that being gay is a “criminal offense.”
Our Whole Lives Curriculum Meets Resistance in St. Louis
While much of the sex ed news out of St. Louis, Missouri has been about opposition to the abstinence-only Thrive program, this latest piece of news is from the other end of the spectrum. Parents in St. Louis are concerned by aspects of the Our Whole Lives program—a curriculum created by the Unitarian Universalist Association and the United Church of Christ—that is being taught to second graders at a local preparatory school. They’re worried that it’s overly graphic, and not age-appropriate. The school stands by the program, though they say that they can make it easier for parents to opt their children out.
New Jersey Residents Push Back Against Abstinence-Only Sex Ed Provider
In Montclair, New Jersey, a Glenfield Middle School talk about sex and puberty was canceled after opposition from parents, who were concerned by the presenting group’s abstinence-only leanings. The controversy has continued, with part of a recent Board of Education meeting being dedicated to the discussion.
Teens in Niagara Falls Demand Better Sex Ed
In Niagara Falls, New York, the Niagara Falls Youth City Council, a 10-member group, asked the Board of Education for better sex education in the high school’s mandatory health courses. This demand is seen as especially crucial, considering that the rates of teens getting pregnant or contracting STDs are far higher in Niagara Falls than the state average.
