Palm Beach County, Fla., School District Plans To Begin Comprehensive Sex Education Program

Main Category: Sexual Health / STDs
Also Included In: Pediatrics / Children's Health;  Women's Health / Gynecology
Article Date: 18 Feb 2008 - 8:00 PST

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The School District of Palm Beach County in Florida plans to begin a new sex education curriculum in April that will teach sixth-grade students about contraception and teach seventh-grade students how to use condoms, the Palm Beach Post reports.

The new curriculum is a response to concerns from Palm Beach County Health Department officials that existing sex education classes for elementary and middle school students did not provide enough information on preventing pregnancy or sexually transmitted infections. The old curriculum taught sixth graders about STIs and how to resist pressure to have sex but had few details about STIs and did not mention condoms, the Post reports. Jean Malecki, the health department's director, began criticizing the old curriculum about one year ago.

Sex education for middle school students in the district will change the most under the new curriculum, according to the Post. Comprehensive sex education will be added to elementary grades, but the lessons will focus on self-esteem, respect and character.

The classes will be taught mainly by science teachers in the district's middle and high schools. Superintendent Art Johnson has said science teachers might not be well-suited or have the expertise to teach sex education. The district is requiring that teachers attend five training sessions before teaching the lessons. The district also has developed a PowerPoint presentation to be used during the lessons to ensure the material is consistent and to serve as a syllabus for parents.

According to the Post, there has not been significant opposition to the new curriculum. Judy Klinek, who oversees health education for the district, said students need to receive sex education before they are teenagers. Marsha Fishbane, director of school health for the health department, said that the district's old sex education curriculum was "just beginning to scratch the surface" of pregnancy and STI prevention.

State Sen. Ted Deutch (D) is sponsoring a measure (SB 848) that would require public schools in the state that receive state funding for sex education to provide a comprehensive curriculum. Deutch has cited studies that found many parents and teachers did not believe sex education programs in the state were effective at helping teenagers prevent pregnancy and STIs.

Florida has the sixth-highest teen pregnancy rate nationwide, the Post reports. A 2005 Florida Youth Risk Behavior Survey found that about 50% of high school students in the state have had sex, including some before age 13 (DeNardo, Palm Beach Post, 2/14).

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