Sex Ed Ripe For Change

By Odile Fredericks, Carolina Parent Web Editor

Posted: March 11, 2009

Change seems to be racing into N.C. schools, and we’d like to know your opinion.

Some North Carolina lawmakers and health advocates want to give parents the right to choose what type of sex education their kids get at school, WRAL reports. Right now by law, the main curriculum stresses abstinence-until-marriage, but legislation is being considered that would let parents opt for their kids to get comprehensive sex education that covers contraception. Do you think parents should have the right to choose?

After Gov. Beverly Perdue expressed her wish to increase per-student public school spending despite a budget crisis, state Republicans leaders suggested Tuesday that the size of school classes should grow instead, WRAL reports. Where should the money come from? Should class sizes increase?

A University of North Carolina panel said Tuesday that the University of North Carolina system should adopt a policy for dealing with hate crimes on all of its campuses, WRAL reports. The commission was born after North Carolina State University students spray-painted racist graffiti in the campus' Free Expression Tunnel on the night President Barack Obama was voted in. Do you think that a system-wide policy is needed?

At risk of alienating some good folks, here are my personal opinions:
Yes, on a comprehensive sex education that covers contraception. The more education for kids on contraception, the better.
No, on increased class sizes. Have you been in a public school class lately? How much bigger do think it can get?
Yes, on the UNC anti-hate crimes policy. I’m a proponent of free speech, but we need guidelines on hate speech, especially when it comes on the night that a country’s leader is elected.

Let me know what you think, especially if you don’t agree.

Is college in your child's future? Browse Carolinaparent.com's new digital Parents' Guide to North Carolina Colleges, with information on every North Carolina college and university.

20 Comments

WRAL.com welcomes your comments on this story. All comments are moderated prior to publication based on our posting guidelines. Please review them prior to posting and if your message is not approved.

This story is closed for comments. Comments on WRAL.com news stories are accepted and moderated between the hours of 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Monday through Friday.

page 1 \| 2
<prev	next>

sort order: oldest first | newest first

"When it was abstinence only, it worked. Now that "conventional" sex ed programs are replacing abstinence programs we are seeing the results."

What report are you reading? Look at the statistics, teen pregnancy is higher in states with abstinance only programs.

cartman
March 12, 2009 5:10 p.m.

Report abuse

Couple other points I forgot to mention:

If comprehensive sex ed. is implemented, how can they explain how to also protect from possible feelings of remorse, betrayal, or that you've wasted something valuable that you can never get back? What talking points do you offer to someone, who later in life, finds themself attracted to someone who did abstain?

A few have said, essentially, "Well, if they're not taught in schools, many won't be taught at home, so we have to teach them in schools." First, no we do not HAVE to. We legally compel attendance so that we can give students the academic skills they'll need. Let's at least first be sure we've mastered that, before we try to teach them something that can cause permanent physical, emotional, and mental scars if not taught accurately AND effectively.

hpr641
March 12, 2009 11:38 a.m.

Report abuse

Familyman, you need to look at the long term ten pregnancy rates - funny, but yes, the teen pregnancy rate is falling - but only AFTER skyrocketing in the mid '80's when all this "abstinence only" bull started. funny, but the previous low periods on the CDC's chart coincide with the Carter administration, and the Kennedy administration - Funny, but it appears that the GOP LOVES high teen pregnancy rates!!

sixnitepkg
March 12, 2009 11:21 a.m.

Report abuse

As far as a rise in teen birth rates, which has just begun in the last year versus 14 years of steady decline, I attribute that to implememting the types of programs that are being considered here. When it was abstinence only, it worked. Now that "conventional" sex ed programs are replacing abstinence programs we are seeing the results. Perhaps we should have the parents of the kids who go through these programs sign a waiver instead of the parents who opt their kids out.

familyman
March 12, 2009 10:15 a.m.

Report abuse

I disagree with two of your points. Sex education should be the parents responsibility. Sex ed in schools always degenerates into an indoctrination of the personal and political beliefs of the teacher. The last time I checked,children do not belong to the state and if the state decides to implement this curriculum, then parents absolutely should be able to opt their children out. The UNC hate-crimes policy is another word for "thought police". The term "hate crimes" is an oxymoron; since when are crimes committed in love? As far as hate speech, I agree that their are people out there who hate, there always will be, but the last time I checked this was a free country and if you want to make a fool of yourself spewing garbage then you are free to do so. If you go down this road of regulating what you can and can't say then it won't stop there. We'll next be told what to think and what to believe. I do agree that class sizes should not get any larger. Kids in public school suffer enough

familyman
March 12, 2009 10:04 a.m.

Report abuse

Schpartacus said: "Can we get the kids to sign the waiver instead, right after they receive a comprehensive sex ed course? They will no longer be able to claim ignorance as an excuse."

Not a bad idea, except that minors can't sign legal waivers. =)

Killian
March 11, 2009 8:18 p.m.

Report abuse

"If parents want to opt out of sex ed for their kids, that's totally fine. Have them sign a waiver that absolves anyone other than themselves and their child of any financial or legal responsibility. That includes std treatment, hospital fees for childbirth, and all health care costs later on as well."

Can we get the kids to sign the waiver instead, right after they receive a comprehensive sex ed course? They will no longer be able to claim ignorance as an excuse.

Schpartacus
March 11, 2009 7:47 p.m.

Report abuse

mep says: "Let parents be the ones to take responsibility for their own child's sexual education."

That would be a great theory if it actually worked. However, the reality is that a lot of parents don't do it, and then it's society that pays for yet another teenaged mother on welfare. It's WIC, it's Medicaid, and another kid who becomes a parasite on society. Wonderful.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

If parents want to opt out of sex ed for their kids, that's totally fine. Have them sign a waiver that absolves anyone other than themselves and their child of any financial or legal responsibility. That includes std treatment, hospital fees for childbirth, and all health care costs later on as well.

Killian
March 11, 2009 7:02 p.m.

Report abuse

Abstinence works 100% of the time. Just like math, 2+2=4, teach the children right, and convince them it is right, and they will get it right. Let parents be the ones to take responsibility for their own child's sexual education.

mep
March 11, 2009 6:50 p.m.

Report abuse

Parents should be the ones to teach sexual education topics to their children. The problem is, the vast majority don't. Children need to know basic anatomy and physiology to be aware of their own sexual health, and yet I still hear female student after female student tell me that when she got her period for the first time, she was petrified because she didn't know what was going on.

As a teen mother mentor, I heard stories from the girls about how they could not figure out how they got pregnant. After all, they [did it standing up] [urinated after sex] [only did it once] etc. They sincerely believed these to be true.

Our girls need to be taught the self respect they need to avoid stds and pregnancy, and our boys need to learn the same things. It's long past time to provide our children with education that not only protects their futures, but could save their lives.

Killian
March 11, 2009 5:52 p.m.

Report abuse