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Sex Education Program Proposal

Jordyn Sinert

SUNY Cortland

EDU 470: Found of Education in American Culture

Dr. MacDonald
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Sex Education Program Proposal

Abstract

Sex education is a comprehensive program that teaches students about the cognitive,

emotional, physical and social aspects of sexuality. The curriculum aims to educate young adults

and give them the knowledge about sexual intercourse, human sexuality, reproductive health,

birth control, STI prevention, and to have them develop positive attitudes toward sex education,

values, and creating healthy sexual relationships (UNESCO, 2018 P.1). This program is a staple

opportunity for students to learn and for me to teach them the holistic approach to sex education.

Where sex education is not just about abstinence. This program will provide students with the

tools, resources, and knowledge for them to be able to navigate and understand healthy

relationships, safe sex, pleasure, human sexuality, anatomy, birth control, STI prevention,

consent, and most importantly a positive attitude toward sex education.

There are so many topics so why does it not have its own class? Why is it mixed in with

health and why do we just touch upon it? Sex education is something that we rarely see as its

own subject. It is a huge part of our lives even just learning about the anatomy of our genitalia

can be very useful. sex education should be just as important as other school subjects, like math.

We all at some point will come in contact with sex in some way or another whether it is in a

conversation with our friends, a spouse, health workers, or the act of having it we hear about it

all the time. It is important to educate our youth on the matter for them to be prepared and

comfortable with the topic.

Teaching students in depth about sex education is a great way to help students understand

their own bodies and be comfortable with themselves.” Sex education helps teenagers understand

themselves biologically and prepare to face the world so that they do not fall victim to sexual
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predators . It also empowers girls and boys to speak up if their sexual boundaries are violated”

(Serenko, 2014, P.1). This information can help students live a healthy long safe lifestyle.

Making sure students feel comfortable, prepared, and empowered is the goal. Students will not

understand the importance of sex education and those values if we do not teach it like we do with

every other subject in schools.

This grant will give the program the tools and ability it needs to succeed and reach its

goals. Our needs assessment shows that students who take sex education have a much better

understanding of birth control, sex roles, sexual interactions, values, safe sex, STIs, and healthy

relationships with their partners (Smylie, 2008). Health classes talk about the basics of sex but

there is so much more to know and learn. Looking at sex education is a holistic approach creates

so many more opportunities and openings for learning experiences. The holistic and

comprehensive approach have shown to be the best methods for teaching sex education

(Lameiras-Fernández 2021). Sex is an integral part of our lives and learning the basics is not

enough. Using these approaches along with the adequate equipment, information, and visuals

students in this program will be provided with an open safe environment to be educated and

succeed.

I am proposing that our school make it mandatory to take this class before graduation. It

will be taught twice a week and available to all different grade levels. It will also be taught after

school as an extra elective if anyone is having trouble fitting the class into their schedule. There

will be programs open for parents and students to get families more comfortable and familiar

with sex education and understanding my approach. Connections with students and the parents

are critical in order for this program to work. I am applying for this grant funding to get the

proper equipment and visuals for my program. It is very important to have the following items in
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order to teach the students and families everything they need to know, to fully grasp the concepts

of this sex education program.

Proposed Budget

Female and Male Genital Model $600

Sex Toys $500

Contraception $300

Visual boards $200

Miscellaneous $600

In order for these students to understand the information to its full potential then there

needs to be models and different objects to use hands on. Taking a holistic hands on approach to

this program is what is going to make it thrive. Students will understand the importance of

comprehending the basic anatomy of the female and male genitalia and what each part does.

Males will be taught how to use a condom and how to put it on. Woman will know the different

types of birth control and how it effects their body. Learning about birth control is super

important at this age because it helps young women prevent teen pregnancy. “Sexuality

education exposes young boys and girls to material that not only reduces their risk of unplanned

pregnancy and disease, but also enlightens and empowers them” (Serenko, 2014, P.1). Sexual

intercourse can come with many risks and we want to educate the students on those risks, but

students should also understand the pleasure that comes with sexual intercourse. Having these

open conversations with the right objects to use as a resource is super important and can make or
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break the program. Students who are involved and are actively learning have seen the most

improvement and understanding (Lameiras-Fernández, 2021,P.2). Speaking about the subject

does not always do it justice. All students will benefit from this program and come out learning

more than they thought they ever would. I want to make sure my students have a full

understanding and really take away from this program.

Many criticize sex education and how it should and shouldn’t be taught. It is a

controversial topic that needs to be addressed and I believe that I can truly provide these students

with the education they need to understand the elements behind positive sex and human

sexuality. “quality sex education should be guided by the broader goals of supporting young

people's sexual health and well-being and helping them grow into sexually healthy adults.”

(Lindenberg, 2020, P.1) This program will be taught as a healthy, safe, comprehensive sex

education program. Promoting awareness and positive attitudes toward sex health. Abstinence in

this case is not key. We cannot avoid sex education and expect our youth to figure it out. If they

are educated and understand the importance than this will be a building block to them

comprehending pleasure while being safe and making good decisions.

In order to know if my students are learning and understanding the information, I am

giving them, I will be assessing my students. I would assess students through surveys as well as

formal and informal assessments. Informal assessments will be included during each class, which

means exit slips and questioning. Formal assessments include tests and quizzes, and they will be

given to each students make sure the fully understand that what they are learning is very

important. They will be tested formally each unit with an exam and will take quizzes throughout

the units as well. Students will take surveys on what they thought about each unit. These surveys

will include questions like what they thought about the unit? what could be improved? what they
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want to learn more about, and if they found the information useful. Students will also take a

survey at the end of the class year about their experience so that I understand what I can do to

improve the program to make it the best it can be. This program is all about the students so their

needs will always be met.

It is extremely tough to just be good at something, you usually have to learn or be taught

how to do that thing. You need to learn how to ride a bike or taught how to drive a car, but no

one ever teaches you how to have safe sex, or what makes a healthy relationship or things to

avoid during such a fragile time in your life. It’s more of a figure it out situation but if young

adults were prepared and understood their bodies it would be much easier on them. Going back

to learning to drive a car, most students go to drivers ed and learn how to drive a car and they

feel safer after learning. They get the experience and the education to succeed on the road, the

same concept goes for sex education. If we prepared students to become sexual healthy adults,

they would feel much more confident and safer while having sex just like they feel more

comfortable and safer on the road.

I have had a passion for teaching sex education for years and I truly believe that sex

education can make a big difference in our youth and future adults’ lives. As the reader put

yourself into perspective, aren’t their things you wish you knew or had known? Providing this

program to students will give them the ability to understand sex education and create a positive

attitude toward reproductive health. The goal of this program is to make sure that students will

be able to navigate confidently and understand healthy relationships, safe sex, human sexuality,

anatomy, birth control, STI prevention, positive sex health and so much more. Sex education is

not just physical, but it is mental and having a positive attitude and outlook is what will make

this program succeed. I plan on providing students with a high quality program and education to
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ensure sure they are learning the information to their fullest potential and applying it in the safest

and best ways. With the help of trainings, professionals, and the administration sexual education

can make a significant impact on parents and students in our school district.
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References

Components of Sexual Health Education. CT.gov. (2021).

https://portal.ct.gov/SDE/Publications/Sexual-Health-Education-Component-of-

Comprehensive-Health-Education/Components-of-Sexual-Health-Education.

Lameiras-Fernández, M., Martínez-Román, R., Carrera-Fernández, M. V., & Rodríguez-Castro,

Y. (2021, March 4). Sex education in the spotlight: What is working? systematic review.

International journal of environmental research and public health.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7967369/. 

L. & Lindenberg (2020). Pleasure and Sex Education: The need for broadening both content and

measurement. American Journal of Public Health, 2(110), 145-148.

Smylie, L., Maticka‐Tyndale, E., & Boyd, D  (2008).

Evaluation of a school‐based sex education programme delivered to Grade

Nine students in Canada, Sex Education, 8(1), 25-46.

Serenko, A. (2014, March 30). The benefits and barriers of comprehensive sex education. Global

Citizen. Retrieved November 30, 2021, from https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/sex-

ed-barriers-and-benefits/.

Why comprehensive sexuality education is important. UNESCO. (2018, June 19). Retrieved

from https://en.unesco.org/news/why-comprehensive-sexuality-education-important