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 to halt the program. According to Missouri State Law, a school district must notify parents of any sex ed instruction that will occur, and provide them with the curriculum that will be used, giving them the opportunity to opt out.
Stanford University Expands Their Sexual Violence Prevention Programs
A program at Stanford University, called Beyond Sex Ed, is expanding. The program uses storytelling as a means to teach students about mutual respect when it comes to things like dating, coming out, early sexual experiences, and relationships. This initiative is one of several being implemented on campus as a means of preventing sexual violence.
Schools in Victoria Get Heat for Their ‘Graphic’ Sex Ed Classes
Parents in Victoria, Australia are outraged over the explicit materials their young children are being exposed to in their primary-level sex ed classes. The government has defended the material, saying it is age-appropriate. The opposition-party, however, has vowed to get rid of the program in primary schools, and “let kids be kids.”
Parents Demand That a Sex Ed Magazine Be Removed from School
Parents in the Pinelands Regional School District of New Jersey are calling for print editions of Sex, Etc.—a sex ed publication by and for teens—to be pulled from the junior high’s media center. The magazine’s mission is to provide a comprehensive education on sexual health and sexuality for teenagers.
Some Concerned That a Gay-Straight Alliance Bill Would Enable ‘Covert’ Sex Ed
In Canada, the Alberta United Conservatives say that a proposed bill about gay-straight alliances would lead to kids being taught sex ed without their parents’ consent. The bill makes it illegal for school officials to tell parents when a child joins an alliance. Because student-led social clubs do not teach a sex ed curriculum, they are exempt from the usual automatic parental notification required by law. Advocates of the bill insist that it is up to kids themselves to tell their parents about their sexual orientation, and that amending the bill would give teachers the right to “out” their students before they’re ready.
Utah Lawmakers Propose a Plan to Move Sex Ed Online
Lawmakers in Utah are drafting a bill that would drafting a bill that would allow parents to tailor the state’s sex education curriculum to their children’s needs. If such a bill were passed, parents would be able to choose from a suite of optional, web-based lessons as an alternative to in-school instruction.
