Sex Education is Relevant Year-Round--by Beth Rendeiro, Director of Outreach & Engagement
/Many schools and educators understand the need for and benefits of comprehensive sex education for their students. In some states, including California, sex education is mandatory for students of certain ages. But for some reason many schools wait until the last three months of the school year to schedule their programming. Is it something about spring? We don’t know each school’s reasons but here are some reasons to schedule the sex education program during the fall or winter.
Students return to school in the summer and fall developmentally different from when they left in June. They have changed physically and emotionally. They are ready to start a new year, have new learnings and make new connections. This is a perfect foundation for sex education. Offering a program earlier in the school year gives students more time all year to speak with trusted adults about anything they learn or have questions about. Some of the silliness or acting out around sexual issues or language can be nipped in the bud with accurate information...Engaging and relevant classes can teach skills that create a healthy basis and shared understanding for new relationships to unfold. Finally, healthy sex education programming is built on trust, respect and having an open mind. Imagine starting the school year with those behaviors stated, practiced and shared by the students.
Please get in touch with us at More Than Sex Ed if you are interested in scheduling a sex education program for this coming school year. Schools are more likely to get their first choice of dates and times if fall programming is requested and they will reap the benefits of open communication and mutual respect for more of the school year. Pass the word -- Sex education is relevant year-round!