With the endurance of the #MeToo movement, and the conversations it has engendered, more and more people are coming to understand that problematic situations aren’t as black and white as they first assumed. And they’re coming to understand why. While the incidents that have necessitated these conversations are upsetting, it’s also heartening to see people… Read more »
Virginia High School Reconsiders Partnership with Sex Ed Providers Following Video Controversy Western Albemarle High School may be severing ties with the Sexual Assault Resource Agency, a local sexual assault prevention group, after complaints arose in regard to a video shown to two health classes. The four-minute video was created by Laci Green, a sex ed… Read more »
To stand up to bullying is to be a real-life superhero. To put yourself out there like that takes courage, inner strength, smarts, and determination. Which is why I’m about to reveal the full depths of my nerd-dom by telling you about my favorite superhero. When I first picked up a trade paperback of The… Read more »
Indiana Legislature Now Approves Opt-Out Bill Just the other month, an Indiana House committee rejected a bill that would make sex ed opt-in, versus opt-out. Since then, the state Senate has approved a bill that would allow parents the opportunity to review the sex ed curriculum and, if they so desire, opt their kids out… Read more »
We are running excerpts from How I Got Into Sex…Ed. Get a free copy of the ebook here. Order the print book here. Peggy Brick, MEd How I Got Into Sex…Ed At 85 years of age, I’m challenged to tell “how I got into sex… education.” I wonder, did it begin at Camp TeAta where, for 13… Read more »
Parents in San Diego, Other Parts of California Protest Sex Ed Program Parents are protesting the San Diego Unified’s sex education program, saying that it’s too graphic, and not age appropriate for school-aged children. The curriculum has three different levels, for sixth grade, eight grade, and high school, during which students learn about gender identification,… Read more »
Before we enter into our first romantic relationships (but after we have left the safe cocoon of all family, all the darn time), we learn to develop and maintain platonic relationships. These first friendships help us to learn various social and emotional skills—and they also provide us with our first examples of both healthy and… Read more »
Indiana House Panel Rejects Opt-In Bill The other week, we reported that a law that would require parents to opt their kids in to sex ed was inching closer to reality in Indiana. Since then, an Indiana House committee has rejected the proposed bill, though parents are still able to opt their kids out of sex ed… Read more »
There are many examples in daily life of how not conforming—of how making yourself visible by acting different from others—is to do the hard thing. Is it any wonder that, when the majority does something troubling or onerous or cruel, many of us just… let it slide? Go along? But to be an individual—to speak… Read more »
Ontario’s Sex Ed Curriculum at Stake in Upcoming Election Patrick Brown, the former leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario, recently stepped down in the wake of multiple allegations of sexual conduct. Looking to fill his shoes is candidate Doug Ford, who has made the province’s sex ed curriculum a part of his platform…. Read more »
We are running excerpts from How I Got Into Sex…Ed. Get a free copy of the ebook here. Order the print book here. Rachel Billowitz, MPH How I Got Into Sex…Ed I grew up in a liberal, progressive family, where we talked openly about current events and politics. My parents were both medical providers, and I was… Read more »
Taipei Parents’ Associations Cast a Critical Eye on Sex Ed Books In Taipei, the National Alliance of Presidents of Parents’ Associations—in addition to several other local parents’ associations—gave ratings to a selection of junior high and high school sex education textbooks intended for use in the spring semester. Their ratings were based upon whether they… Read more »
Kentucky Bill Proposes That Sex Ed Start in Fourth Grade House Bill 80 proposes that school districts throughout Kentucky make mandatory age-appropriate sex education for 4th- through 12th-graders, with the coverage of topics ranging from the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases to premarital abstinence. If this piece of legislation were to pass, the Kentucky Board… Read more »
We are running excerpts from How I Got Into Sex…Ed. Get a free copy of the ebook here. Order the print book here. Brandy Barnett, MS How I Got Into Sex…Ed I am a trainer and technical assistance coordinator, and I also teach sex education to adolescents and provide workshops for parents of adolescents on effective communication… Read more »
Schools in India Will Incorporate Transgender Issues into Sex Ed In New Delhi, the Department of Education has announced that it will incorporate transgender issues into mandatory sex and relationship education classes. These changes will go into effect for all primary and secondary schools beginning in September 2019. Schools in St. Louis Officially Moving Past… Read more »
The push for comprehensive sexuality education has been a constant, but it is inclusivity—especially for the LGBTQ community—that has been receiving additional attention in recent years. This past summer, John Paul Brammer, a contributor to BuzzFeed, wrote a powerful personal essay on how sex ed keeps queer teens in the dark. Even before that, both… Read more »
Wisconsin School District Looks To Update Curriculum, Receives Push-Back In Wisconsin, the Neenah Joint School District was considering changes to a sex ed curriculum that hasn’t been updated in over a decade. The curriculum as it stood was abstinence-based. The school board has since voted to approve changes that include proper condom use and gender… Read more »
There’s not much longer now until we see all of you in Atlantic City! To continue to get you excited about conference programming, here’s the next in a series of posts meant to prepare you for this year’s National Sex Ed Conference. This week, we spotlight Lin Jovanovic, Ph.D., a licensed psychologist who will be… Read more »
School in Missouri Forced to Halt Sex Ed Classes One mother in Missouri took to Facebook to complain about her son’s middle school when she discovered he’d started learning from a sex ed curriculum she considered to be age-inappropriate…without her ever being given the chance to opt out. After word spread, the school was forced… Read more »
This is one in a series of posts meant to prepare you for this year’s National Sex Ed Conference. This week, we spotlight Liz Zadnik and Sarah Bear, B.A., colleagues at the New Jersey Coalition Against Sexual Assault (NJCASA), who will be speaking about sexual violence prevention on Thursday, December 7, 3 p.m. – 4… Read more »
