Counterpoint: Removal of Sex Education Is Detrimental
December 13, 2019
Let’s face it. Some things are better left in the hands of trained educators. If we do not trust parents to teach geometry or grammar, why are we trusting them something most would consider even more important? 90% of parents give the schools permission to handle the birds and the bees talk according to Jessica Edgar, director of Elementary Curriculum and Instruction, but now the schools have taken a different approach. “Our community wanted the opportunity to put their own emphasis on what pieces they want in this curriculum,”Jessica Edgar said.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization said, “[Comprehensive sexuality education] plays a crucial role in addressing the health and well-being of children and young people.” Letting parents control their education means the depth of their education can be influenced by personal relationships and parental biases. Religion will also affect how comfortable someone feels discussing these topics and whether or not certain things could be openly discussed, along with the taboo certain processes carry.Learning at home means kids are not hearing it from an impartial instructor, but instead someone they live with and have a history with. Aside from bias, this is leaving room for miscommunication and the glossing over of important topics. There is currently no regulation on when the students will actually watch the video links, which are only offered in English. This exclusion of various groups puts kids who may already be falling behind into a situation that damages society as a whole. “Too many young people receive confusing and conflicting information about relationships and sex, as they make the transition from childhood to adulthood,” according to the UNESCO website.
There is also the issue of respect. Children will have a different relationship with their teacher compared to their legal guardian. They may not carry the same respect for their parents at such a pivotal age. If children are not taking this seriously, they could end up going to even more unreliable sources for their sexual education. There is no guarantee they will have a civil conversation with their parents. The district is assuming its students have someone at home who is going to sit down with them and carefully go through these education plans. While this is a pleasant thought, it is simply unrealistic. There are single parents who work multiple jobs and households with unreliable guardians who may not prioritize their children’s education, both sexual and academic.While some may argue that these problems could be resolved through after school teaching programs, there is the issue of transportation to where these programs would be held.
“Public schools are the best opportunity for adolescents to access formal information,” said the University of Southern California Department of Nursing.
