Sex Education Faces Serious Setbacks, Continuing a Downward Trend
Bill To Kick Planned Parenthood Out of Schools Defeated… and Then Revived
The past few weeks, we have been following the progress of a bill that would ban Planned Parenthood from involvement in school sexuality education offerings. Senate bill 89, sponsored by Sen. Mike Dunleavy (R-Wasilla), failed to get the necessary votes to move it out of the House Health and Social Services Committee. But Dunleavy placed elements of this bill into a different education bill, House Bill 156. It includes a provision requiring classes on sex education be taught by a person with a valid teacher license. It would also require school boards to approve any curriculum, literature, or materials related to sex education, human reproduction education, or human sexuality education. This bill was passed by the Senate committee 3-1.
Initiative To Create Online Educational Resource for Men at Risk of HIV
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has awarded the Miriam Hospital a five-year grant to study media influences on risk behaviors among young men who have sex with men. The results of this research is intended to be used in the development of an online health media literacy resource for those especially at risk of HIV and other STDs.
Virginia School Board Moves To Cut Family Life Education Teachers from Its Budget
Superintendent Eric Williams, in Loudoun County, VA, suggested cutting 19 full-time family life education (FLE) teachers in order to save $1,771,000. This would mean that the responsibility for the teaching of sex education classes would fall to physical education teachers. Over 50 teachers, school staff, and community members showed up to a public hearing to urge the School Board not to make these cuts.
Sex Ed Book Causes Controversy at Oregon Elementary School
A sex education book intended for students ages 10 and up was left at an Oregon elementary school library, where it was accidentally viewed by fourth graders. The book has since been pulled from shelves. The book in question, It’s Perfectly Normal, explains bodies, sex, and sexual health.
Fewer Students Are Learning the Basics from Their Sex Ed Classes
In a report released by the Guttmacher Institute, fewer teens are getting basic sex ed information such as formal instruction about how to use birth control. ThinkProgress reports on the implications of these findings.
