Sex Education in Schools

1685 Words4 Pages

As children grow, they accumulate knowledge over the years about a variety of subjects to prepare them for the future. Children learn from parents, schools, life experiences, what they watch and other influences around them, and it can be either positive learning or negative learning. There is one subject that is difficult to teach and have control over because of misunderstandings, lack of teaching, and publicity. Sex education has been a major debate for children under eighteen, because there are some parents that want it taught in schools and others that do not because of different reasons. There are currently eighteen states and the District of Columbia that require schools to provide sex education and thirty-two that do not require sex education. “There is no federal law that requires public schools to teach sex education or what should be taught” (Glander). While the parents and schools are debating whether sex education should be taught, children are out participating in sexual activities without any knowledge of protection and consequences, such as pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases (STD)s. “Sixty-six percent of American high school students have had sexual intercourse by their senior year” (Masland). Sex education should be taught in schools, because some parents do not talk to their children about sex, schools can possibly teach it better and make it easier to understand, and there are too many things in the society that is sexual based and confuse the children if not taught to them early. Parents are supposed to talk with their children about sex and sexuality as they grow. Over time it has been known as “the talk” or “the birds and the bees,” but no matter what it is called, the talk about sex is not happe... ... middle of paper ... ...ptember 2010. Web. 4 December 2011 Blick, John. “Does sex education in schools encourage teens to have sex?” helium.com. n.p. 18 February 2011. Web. 21 November 2011 “Facts on American Teens’ Sources of Information About Sex.” Guttmacher.org. n.p. February 2011. Web. 21 November 2011 Glander, Becky. “Parent Talk: Should Sex Education Be Taught in School?” roseville.patch.com. n.p. 20 November 2011. Web. 21 November 2011 Jones, Eliot. “Sex Education.” idebate.org. n.p. 17 May 2009.Web.21 November 2011 Masland, Molly. “Carnal knowledge: The sex ed debate.” msnbc.com. n.p. Web. 4 December 2011 Park, Alice. “Parents' Sex Talk with Kids: Too Little, Too Late.” time.com. n.p. 7 December 2009. Web. 4 December 2011 Phillips, Anna and Fernanda Santos. “New York City Will Mandate Sex Education.” The New York Times. n.p. 9 August 2011. Web. 21 November 2011

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