Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Amanda Thornton
Professor Iovannone
English 100
12 November 2012
Thornton 2
this is absolutely outrageous, because I didnt find out what oral sex even
was until high school. Children are getting more and more bombarded with
all of the media telling them that they have to be sexy and have sex in
order to be more grownup or to be looked at in a better way. All of these
things add up to one thing; more sex education in schools, even before the
children become sexually active, should be mandatory.
Sexuality education involves the process of acquiring knowledge and
forming beliefs, values, and attitudes about intimacy, relationships, and
identity. This education is a lifelong process and is instrumental in helping
people to establish healthy behaviors throughout life. (Omar, 184) Sex
education is a lot more than sitting students down and talking about
abstinence and contraception. One of the important points that should be
talked about is the emotional part of it; how it may change the way one
thinks or feels about certain things or certain people, and that having a good
grasp of who you are is the basis of having healthy sex. Young people are too
ignorant to the fact that sex isnt just something that you do; it involves all of
you, even your brain and thoughts. Your emotions are thrown in every
direction and some people are not mentally capable enough to have sex.
This is something that you will experience all throughout your life, not only
something you do as a teenager or when you get married.
Public Schools should offer a form of sexual education to all children. I
believe that this education should be as informative and blunt as possible.
Sex does occur between high school students and even middle school
Thornton 3
Thornton 4
Thornton 5
they brought this child into the world, with all knowledge of the good, bad
and the ugly that goes on. The students will have a greater knowledge and
will touch on the topic that it is an emotional act as well as a physical one.
Some say that a school is not the place for sex education (Diller).
There are some parents that believe that sex should be taught and talked
about only in the home. Each family has their own morals and rules that
need to be set for the child that may not be taught in schools. The
disadvantage to this method is parents never talking to their child about sex.
When this is the case, the child never gets the information he or she needs in
order to lead a healthy successful sex life. Another outcome is that parents
will not be talking enough about contraception, the consequences of sex, and
about sexually transmitted diseases. The parent can be just as uninformed or
uneducated as their child. In order to educate their child effectively, the
parent needs to seek out the correct information.
There is a provision schools have to follow in order to teach sex
education in some states. The school has to have the option for the parent
to have their child excused from any sex education requirements within a
public schools curriculum (Brough, 410). The public schools notify parents
concerning any sex education that will be given in that public school
(Brough 410). This is a positive only because it allows the parents to be
informed on what their child is learning about. If the parent decides to opt
their student out of the education, they should have a backup plan on talking
about what would have been taught. Although, Opt-out provisions do not
Thornton 6
guarantee that a childs parents will provide similar instruction, nor does it
presume accurate, up-to-date information will be given to a child by a
parent (Brough, 410) The child can be left out of the class and on the
information. The parent is further sheltering their child from the real world. If
they decide to not allow sexual education to be taught to their child, what
else are they hiding them from?
Sexual education is an important staple for schools to educate their
students about. Whether it is an abstinence-based or a comprehensive
curriculum, the children are getting the right information that they need to
know in order to stay safe and have a healthy, happy sex life. Parents need
to open their mind to having their child knowing about sex and possibly
being sexually active. They should want their child to have enough
information and make the right decision for their life. Turning a blind eye to
sex will not make the hard consequences and the physical act go away. This
is a real life topic that everyone runs into in their lifetime. The best thing to
do for children is to provide them with all of their options and inform them on
the issues that come along with being sexually active. Schools should
provide this education without the need for parental consent in order to
protect their student body.
Works Cited
Thornton 7
J. WANZER DRANE, et al. "Public Opinion On School-Based Sex Education In South
Carolina." American Journal Of Sexuality Education 4.2 (2009): 116-138.
Education Research Complete. Web. 15 Nov. 2012.
Brough, Keith. "Sex Education Left At The Threshold Of The School Door: Stricter
Requirements For Parental Opt-Out Provisions." Family Court Review 46.2
(2008): 409-424. Education Research Complete. Web. 15 Nov. 2012.
Diller, Rita. "Sex Education: Why It Is Wrong." American Life League.Web. 15 Nov.
2012.
The Heritage Foundation. "Comprehensive Sex Education." Minnisota Majority. Web.
15 Nov. 2012.