Students need to know the facts and the fact is that sexual activity is happening. All of us need to know how to protect ourselves and our children. It is not our place as educators to "preach" to the students, but to arm them with facts.

School's roles in helping children stay healthy is pretty clear and if the issue is preventing STD's then abstinence education anywhere is a profound failure. I form the question a little differently. How do we assure that students arrive at school healthy and how do schools support their ongoing health? If they are unhealthy then the public good is serves through home visits.
I'm afraid that we could look at health education's increase in the public schools and a parallel decrease in children's health in many communities. I see the confusion between civic/social responsibility vs band-aids to cover up for the lack of effective family/parental support. It takes a village and the schools are only part of that village (26 hours out of 168 each week.)

Wouldn't it be great if that's all that had to be taught? 40-50 years ago, possibly, but not now. Schools are expected to raise the kids, not just educate them. So how can we raise kids without giving them the facts of today's society. Abstinence is great but outdated. Kids today have sex the same way we used to "neck" and "pet". IMO, they have to know the possible results of "having sex".

Although I wish it was possible to leave this personal topic to the home, it is not. Therefore, we should arm our students with every possible bit of knowledge to help them cope with the issues of today's society. That includes all forms of information on disease, prevention and family planning.

The wording in your survey questions beg the issue of just telling rather than instructing and providing correct information surrounding the issue. The real issues here are moral, spiritual, healthful and societal in scope. Students need to be directed to understand all of the important aspects surrounding their sexuality. Any assumptions destroy the pure intent of diseminating information in a manner that will show the learner the benefits of one path chosen over another. There is just too much at stake to think that getting out youth to have "safe sex" will lessen the problems of STD's. Our youth deserve the very best programs we have to offer to help them make the right choices for their future. Good Abstinence programs that teach the dangers as well as the personal benefits are far better than the "safe sex" approach.

I think students need BOTH...the standard should be abstinence, and it is for some kids BUT the pregnancy & STD statistics in many of our communities indicate that not all kids listen to the "just say no" message. Until we recognize that we are sexual beings, and we educate young people about making informed, age-appropriate, healthy choices regarding their sexuality we will continue to see many of our youth experience sexuality as something negative. How can adults who live in such a highly sexualized world believe that our youth are not affected by all this sexualization? It is in the music they hear, the TV, the movies, etc. Yet, honest, informed, medically accurate information is banned from our schools? Let teachers teach, and let parents, churches, ministers, etc. make sure there are values for them to incorporate into their decision making.

I think it is interesting that the initial link to this poll states: "Should sex education classes preach abstainance..." I think the role of education is never to preach. I have been both in formal and nonformal education, and I have always felt my role has been to facilitate the use and understanding of factual information and critical thinking skills for using tools that are at one's disposal for learning, evaluating, and decision making in developmentally appropriate ways. In the case of sex education, all the research I have seen around "preaching" abstainance shows that it isn't working. Kids need to know the consequences of actions and options for safe and healthy decision making. The politicization of (sex) education has created a generation of youth who feel disenfranchised from reality and swimming in a world of "don't do as I do, but do as I say."

As a teacher that has spent time teaching AIDS education in Zambia, I understand that this is a difficult issue, but I'm amazed at the fact that abstinence has become a taboo word. At a World Aids Conference recently, audience members booed at the very mention of the word.

AIDs is a deadly disease, but it is completely avoidable.
There is only one way for a student to be free from any risk of AIDS; sexual abstinence. This disease is completely avoidable.

I am not against discussing how to reduce stds through contraception, but we treat this disease unlike any other in order to be politically correct. Condoms are 99.9% effective. There is no other medicine we would tolerate where 1 out of 1000 perfectly healthy users would contract a deadly disease.
We trust teens to make good decisions in other areas (even though they don't), why is casual sex any different.

To illustrate this, here are some health campaign slogans you'll never hear.

"If you're underage and you must drink and drive, be sure to wear your seat belt."

Going out to party with friends, but have a deadly strain of Tuberculosis? Please be sure to wear a high quality surgical mask. They are more than 99% effective!"

To quote one of the posts below,
"Students need to know the facts and the fact is that sexual activity is happening. All of us need to know how to protect ourselves and our children. It is not our place as educators to "preach" to the students, but to arm them with facts.

Let me change the words and fill in the blank with other teenage activity that is a "fact." I've added the last sentence in quotes....

1. Students need to know the facts and the fact is that "heroin use" is happening. All of us need to know how to protect ourselves and our children. It is not our place as educators to "preach" to the students, but to arm them with facts. "Use a clean syringe."

2.Students need to know the facts and the fact is that "smoking and binge-drinking" is happening. All of us need to know how to protect ourselves and our children. It is not our place as educators to "preach" to the students, but to arm them with facts. "If you're going to smoke, smoke low-tar cigarettes. Are you a binge drinker? Keep safe. Stay in the basement and don't attempt to climb stairs while drunk."

Idealogues on both sides are fanning the fire of the pandemic on the altar of political correctness.

Q: Should sex-ed classes teach abstinence only?

A: Not above third grade.

The overall message received from the media endorses promiscuity from sexy advertising, to entertainment, and the youth are drawn to these images and sounds day in and day out. Parents should be the primary source of moral values. Some do communicate their values, some do not. Communicating abstinence should be heard somewhere so these values are either reinforced or contrasted for INFORMED CHOICES.