Research the Status of Sexuality Education in Your School District
Just ask some questions and tell us what you hear! Please include your name, school district, age of interviewee (if student), position of interviewee (if school staff or administration) and send to Allison Get Your Child’s Perspective: Think of it as a good way to open/continue dialogue regarding this important issue with your family. - Have you received sexuality education at school?
- If you have relieved sexuality education, do you remember in what grade (s) it was taught? Was it part of another course, like health education?
- Did you discuss any of the following topics: abstinence (saying “no”), STD’s, HIV/AIDS, methods of STD/HIV prevention, contraception, or pregnancy prevention? (Be sure to get specifics, like what facts/statistics do they use?, how do they describe information or ideas?”)
- Do you have any text books or homework assignments (review)
- Did you have any questions that were not addressed in class? Can you think of any topics that you would have liked to learn about that were not discussed?
Conduct NARAL’s School District Survey: These questions are for asking teachers, principals, individuals in the superintendent’s office, and other appropriate school officials. - Does the school teach sexuality education?
- Is such education required? If yes, what is the source of requirement (i.e. law, regulation, state department of education document?)?
- Are teachers and schools free to teach what they wish or must they follow district-wide or statewide guidelines?
- Are the following topics taught/required, either as a part of sexuality education or separately: puberty, human growth and development, abstinence, STD/HIV education, STD/HIV prevention, pregnancy prevention, contraception, and dealing with peer pressure?
- In what grades are sexuality education and related topics required and/or offered?
- What is the length of such instruction?
- What are the curricula, teacher guides, frameworks, and guidelines used for sexuality education within your school district? (Request copies)
- How are decisions made regarding sexuality education within the school district?
- Have there been any controversies regarding sexuality education in the school district in recent memory?
Are there teachers/school officials with whom interested parties could discuss the nature and quality of sexuality education within the school district and ask further questions?
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