Sex-ed lite bill to be introduced in Utah
Under a bill to be introduced soon in Utah, sex education teachers would be criminally liable if they “deviate from state law governing sex education, which requires that it focus on physical and emotional development of adolescents, healthy relationships and the threat and prevention of diseases.”
The bill is being prepared in response to a recent allegation of alleged impropriety:
The Jordan School District is investigating allegations that a seventh- and eighth-grade health teacher violated the sex education statute by responding to questions from students about topics beyond the core curriculum, including homosexual sex, oral sex and masturbation.
What are we coming to?? How dare a sex ed teacher talk about homosexual sex, oral sex and masturbation!
I don’t see a problem with there being reasonable limits on what is presented in a public school sex ed class. If kids have questions that the teacher can’t answer, they should ask their parents or their friends (who often know far more than we adults realize).
Obviously, I’ve avoided the question of whether or not the three topics Erich mentions belong in a public school sex ed class. Such things are often a function of “community standards,” which vary from place to place and, thus, are perhaps not subject to generalities we might want to make. That’s not to say I disagree with Erich, just pointing out that there is more to this issue.
Grumpy. I agree that reasonable people might differ about whether to present various topics as part of sex ed. What I disagree with is this: It should be expected that students might ask sex ed teachers about homosexual sex, oral sex or masturbation. I find it disturbing, then, that a sex ed teacher would be FIRED for attempting to provide information when students inquired about these topics. As though it’s improper to provide answers to homosexual sex, oral sex or masturbation in a “sex ed” class.