Opinion: Public schools should teach children how to be responsible, contributing members of society. That should include basic health and safety skills. Sex-related health issues are important to a society, even if you only consider the costs involved. To be responsible members of society, children must learn about sex and sexual behavior.
Unfortunately, relying on parents for this education has, as a society, not been successful. Far too many children suffer sexual abuse. We cannot keep doing the same thing, and expect things to change. This bill is an attempt to do something different, and create a change in behavior.
Whether kids become sexually active has a lot less to do with how much knowledge they have, and a lot more to do with how much opportunity they have to engage. My daughter is going to have all the info as soon as she starts asking, but she’ll also have lots of encouragement to be extremely particular about when and who. And of course, self-defense classes, ’cause it’s a rough world.
