Sex education can look very different in Indiana and national classrooms. In Indiana Some schools have recently discontinued sex education programs due to parental pressure. In Texas This fall, students will learn about contraception and sexually transmitted diseases for the first time in the latest sex education curriculum.
To share the state of sex education in these two states, Lauren Bavis, WFYI’s digital editor of health and education, has worked in Indiana and Texas. This interview has been summarized and edited for clarity.
Changes coming to Texas
“Texas has had sex updated over almost 20 years,” Rivera said. “The Internet now has far more opportunities for children to access their smartphones … and there are many different relationship dynamics that weren’t necessarily included in the curriculum.”
The curriculum is still based on abstinence, but the big change is that Texas students learn about contraception.
“This is a big win for supporters, as you can imagine, the curriculum of the 90’s lacks a lot for kids,” says Rivera.
But supporters say there are still many shortages. Students are not taught about gender or LGBTQ related topics. And students learn about boundaries, but not specifically about consent.
“Supporters say they hear students asking questions and wanting to know more, but the curriculum has nothing about it,” Rivera said.
Observe sex education classes
As part of her report, Gaines spent time in 5th and 6th grade classes in Indianapolis. There, a non-profit LifeSmart Youth health educator led a sex education lesson. Sex education is not required for schools in Indiana, but individual districts and schools can choose to provide it.
“There were a lot of kids in the 5th grade class who were, of course, a little nervous and a little fidgety,” Gaines said. “But I was totally impressed with how enthusiastic and attentive they were to the lessons.”
Every student who studied in the same classroom, different from Gaines, remembers her own sex education class, which separated boys and girls. And Indianapolis students asked a lot of questions.
“What are children, acne? Can a boy give birth to a baby? Can two people of the same sex get pregnant? A girl asks how old she must be to use a tampon. “It was,” Gaines said. “It was really, really interesting. Getting such an internal look, such a tape, about what sex education in the Indianapolis classroom really looks like, made me feel privileged as a radio reporter. rice field.”
Why sex education is important
Studies show that comprehensive sex education can help improve student health. This is important in states like Texas, where the birth rate of teens is high in the United States.
“Getting this information is very important not only to help students know, but also to prevent some of these consequences,” Rivera said.
However, sex education has become a central new topic in the so-called “parental rights” movement, along with book-like issues that students can access in the classroom.
“That’s why I was interested in this story,” Gaines said. She saw a post about a local sex educator in her Facebook parent group. “She was portrayed as a pedophile, as a groomer, by a group of far-right parent activists in the state as an unsafe person to be around the children. And it’s a lot of conservative media. Taken up by and amplified those claims. ”
There is no evidence that this sex educator is harming students, and after interviewing her and other supporters, Gaines said that those who oppose classroom sex education were able to find race, gender, and sexual identity. I found out that I am in a group that opposes classes on topics such as.
“There is an entire group of parents who have a lot of concerns, and advocates say that they are primarily conservative outlets, conservative professionals, conservative individuals and sex education that scares these parents. Is bad and harmful to their children, and it’s also the way schools are brainwashing their children, “Gains said.
Read more about this topic
Texas got the latest information on gender, but students and educators say there are still many missing Elena Rivera
Indian sex educators confront online attacks, nervous schools Lee V. Gains
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