Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

5-minute expert:

What students are learning in sex ed in Clark County schools

sex ed illustration for 5-minute expert

There comes a time when every school district must grapple with outrage about what it does or doesn’t teach students about sexuality and the human reproductive system.

Some parents say schools should be cautious and conservative, telling students only the bare minimum. Others, and many students, on the other hand, say classes should cover the complex issues young people face everyday.

In the Clark County School District, the debate exploded in recent months after parents discovered district officials were meeting in secret to discuss sex education standards. The fervor even attracted the attention of “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” and national media.

But the issue goes much deeper and back as far as at least 2011.

What does Nevada law say?

Sex education in state schools is mandated by Nevada law, which calls for “factual instruction concerning Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome” and “instruction on the human reproductive system, related communicable diseases and sexual responsibility.” The language of the law lends itself to a broad range of interpretations, so at the district level, it’s the school board that really has the final say on what students learn.

Across the country, sex ed programs typically adopt one of three approaches:

Abstinence only

Focuses solely on remaining abstinent and avoids discussion of contraception and safe sex.

Extensive research, including a study by the Journal of Adolescent Health, has shown abstinence-only sex education is ineffective at discouraging teenagers from having sex.

Abstinence-based

(taught in Clark County)


Lessons are widened to include topics such as contraception and sexually transmitted diseases, but the overwhelming focus still is on remaining abstinent. Courses exclude discussions about gender and homosexuality and do not instruct students on where to obtain contraception.



Comprehensive

Students study a wide range of information about human sexuality.

Abstinence still is taught as the best way to prevent sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancy, but students also are taught how to communicate with sexual partners and are provided with resources explaining how to obtain contraception.

Who makes decisions for Clark County?

In Clark County, a district task force determines curriculum based on state law. The law also requires the school district to appoint an advisory board to review materials teachers want to use. The board is made up mostly of parents but also includes a medical expert, counselor, member of the clergy, teacher and student. The advisory board makes recommendations to the superintendent, who in turn advises the school board, which has the final say.

What do students think?

A group of current and former Clark County students has stepped forward to advocate for more comprehensive sex education. Members of the Nevada Teen Health and Safety Coalition regularly attend school board meetings, arguing that room must be made for discussions about homosexuality and gender identity, as well as practical information about where to obtain contraception. They also are calling for an internal audit, claiming many teachers don’t follow the existing curriculum and leave important information out of lessons.

Should we expect anything to change?

The recent controversy over sex education in Clark County left the school district terrified to rock the boat. Administrators have kept quiet on the issue, while parents and students duke it out as part of the ongoing curriculum review process. Without a bill in the Legislature this year, students and activists have little chance of getting the school district to budge and adopt a comprehensive sex education program. That means the status quo likely will remain in place until at least the next legislative session.

What is being taught now?

If parents opt their students into sex education, students learn the following:

Fifth grade

(three 45-minute lessons; boys and girls separated)

Boys and girls start by learning anatomy. A 45-minute discussion about puberty comes before a 20-minute video produced by Procter & Gamble Co. called, “Always Changing About You,” which has versions for girls, boys and coed groups. The final lesson is a PowerPoint presentation about HIV and AIDS. Teachers follow a tight script, down to the exact moment they should hand out worksheets.

After elementary school, sex ed gets a little more complicated. Students are taught only by teachers with health certification, and there is no script. As long as students learn the standards set by the district and materials have been approved by the district and school principal, instructors can use whatever materials they choose.

Eighth grade

(lessons last three weeks; coed)

Students learn more about puberty and start talking about sex. They discuss the social, emotional and physical consequences of sexual activity and learn how the cycle of pregnancy works. They also discuss healthy relationships and abstinence, with a focus on the benefits of remaining abstinent. The curriculum includes information about contraception, but it is discussed mostly in comparison with the benefits of abstinence.

High school

(lessons last three weeks; coed)

For the most part, sex education in high school doesn’t differ much from middle school. Students review the reproductive system, consequences of sexual activity and benefits of abstinence. They learn about the risks of teenage pregnancy and about parenthood.

What do sex education advocates want changed?

Opt-out vs opt-in

State law requires parents to opt students into sex education by signing a permission slip. Some parents argue the opposite should be enacted — students should automatically be included in sex education classes unless their parents sign a slip pulling them out of the course.

It’s a major point of contention in the debate, with a large number of parents fighting tooth-and-nail to keep the district’s opt-in policy. They say changing it would deny parents the right to decide what values their children learn. Others say it disadvantages students whose parents might forget to sign the permission slip, as well as children from families and cultures that shy away from discussions about sex.

If the comprehensive sex education bill debated in the past were approved today, the bulk of instruction in Clark County would stay the same. However, schools would have to start teaching subjects some parents find controversial:

+ Sexual orientation

Curriculum would have to reflect different sexual orientations rather than focus strictly on male-female relationships.

Of parents surveyed...

70 percent felt sexual orientation should not be taught to elementary students

57 percent felt sexual orientation should not be taught to middle and high schoolers

+ Gender identity and stereotypes

Lessons would have to be inclusive of transgender students and include discussions about gender stereotypes.

Of parents surveyed...

68 percent felt gender identity should not be taught to elementary students

58 percent felt gender identity should not be taught to middle and high schoolers

+ Negotiation

Students would be taught how to communicate with potential sexual partners to reduce their risk of sexual assault, pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. The majority of parents support this only for secondary students.

+ Resources

Older students would be given information about where to obtain contraception and how to get screened for STDs. The majority of parents support this only for secondary students.

Are these numbers an accurate representation of parents in Clark County?

Although the survey included the opinions of almost 2,000 parents, it has been difficult for the school district to separate the opinions of parents who live in Las Vegas versus parents who live in the county’s rural areas. A contingent of parents from Logandale and Overton has been the most vocal at school board meetings in opposing changes to the curriculum.

Also, of the nearly 5,000 people who took the survey, only 36 filled it out in Spanish. In a district where nearly 50 percent of students come from Latino households and only 27 percent of students are white, that’s low.

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