Sex Ed in Virginia Public Schools

The current state of Sex Ed in Virginia public schools is abysmal. Class after class of young men graduate without even having learned to put on a condom. although conservative social standard dictate that subjects such as contraception are taboo, these subjects are a crucial part of every child's education. A young adult's first time will happen, sooner or later, and I think this person's friends and family can agree that it would be better if everyone went into the situation prepared.

Another issue with the current state of sex education is the over-emphasis it places on sexually transmitted diseases. These diseases are serious, and they are real, but it would serve public health far better if teachers would focus on methods of preventing and treating STDs rather than simply hammering into students the dangers these diseases pose. An average student might leave a typical VA high school sex ed class with the impression that if they have sex, even orally, once, they will get AIDS, get pregnant, and die. Such scare tactics are made up of intentional lie propagated by school faculty and staff members to discourage students from engaging in sexual activity.

I personally believe that the school systems should focus on the practical side of sex education - how to avoid STDs and accidental pregnancy. The simple fact is that teenagers will have sex, most before they graduate from high school. For this reason, I think that beginning in ninth or tenth grade, teachers should show the students simple skills, such as how to correctly put on a condom, that could save a great deal of pain and suffering later.

Obviously, there could be some religious objection to this type of education. For that reason, there should always be the possibility that the students or their parents would find the material presented objectionable for religious or other reasons. In this case, there should be an easy way for a student to be exempt from participation in all or part of the sex ed curriculum, preferably with minimal hassle and embarasment.

I also think a great deal of the problems described above could be avoided completely if parents took a more active role in educating their children about safe sexual practices.