Ethics of Sex Education in Public Schools - Research Paper Example

Ethics of Sex Education in Public Schools Introduction Sex education, with regards to public schools, is a controversial topic and needs to be addressed with care. You needn’t get into the intricacies of sexuality to understand that sex education affects almost all social, economic and racial groups and hence, it needs to be taught with utmost care. The environment of an individual is the single most important factor in deciding the ethical values while defining and explaining the concept of sex education in a public school environment. Sex Education To be able to fathom the true meaning of sex education, you need to first understand and realize that the agencies involved in implementing these policies are in reality the Federal government, the state, the local agencies, the school board of education, the teachers and finally the students. Sex education is of vital importance and needs to be taught by an expert who is trained to impart a sensitive issue, the synonym of which is symbolic to the attitudes, beliefs and values of a stable mind set, in an expert manner. While the Federal government is the overall authority in formulating policies, it does not take interest in the execution of sex education principles and thus relies heavily on the state and local bodies for the same. (Irvine, 2002) At the same time, as all the major funding activities pertaining to the school education system is done by the Federal government and hence, it has the right to exercise control over the ways and means of compiling and executing the policies pertaining to sex education in a public school environment. On the whole, it is the state and the local bodies, with special regards to the school education board and the related teachers, who influence the curriculum and execute it to perfection. Hence, a majority of decisions are ideally made at the local level. (Irvine, 2002) It has to be noted that a state mandate is essential to implement a particular curriculum regardless of what the school thinks about it. For example, if the state mandate requires schools to include HIV/AIDS or the risk of having sex with multiple partners, the local body has no choice but to implement the same in their school prospectus. Similarly, if the state mandate puts a restriction on the use of HIV/AIDS or the risk of having sex with multiple partners, the local bodies would have to do as told and cannot overrule the state decision. (Went, 1985) The Course Content The content of sex education is not fixed and varies in accordance to the community and the age of the students enrolled in the program. In all honesty, the course material or context of sex education is still a mystery, as the desired research to provide an accurate picture is amiss. Nonetheless, a recent study by the Center for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC) Division of Adolescent and School Health, provides an insight into America’s sex education syllabus. (Went, 1985) In accordance to the study, eighty six percent of all high schools taught that abstinence was the best method to avoid STD and unwanted pregnancy, eighty two percent taught about the risks involved with multiple partners, seventy seven percent taught reproductive anatomy and puberty under the human development topics, seventy nine percent taught about relationships and dating, sixty five percent taught about the benefits of using a condom, sixty nine percent taught about the joy of marriage and commitments, forty eight percent taught their students the importance of sexual orientation and sexual identity, while thirty nine percent of the students were taught the correct procedure of how to use a condom. (Irvine, 2002) If we go back in time to the year 2002, we would realize that while sex education was being administered to public schools, the dosage was somewhat incorrect for an effective treatment. Flaws were found in the formulation of instructions related to sex education wherein one third of the teens reported to have received no formal instruction on the use and application of contraceptives, a little above twenty present of both sexes complained of having received abstinence instructions without the required instructions on birth control and thirty eight percent of sexually experienced teens reported to having received no formal instructions on the use of contraceptives before they had their first sexual encounter. (Minor, Muyskens, & Alexander, 1971) What Are The Goals - The Right Age To Learn The basic goals of a school based sexual education program is to provide an accurate information on human sexuality, help young teens to develop and understand their attitudes and values on sexuality, further develop interpersonal skills and healthy relationships and enable individuals to become sexually responsible in terms of successfully repressing their urge for premature intercourse, using contraceptives wherever necessary, while maintaining ethical sexual practices. Sex education is a lifelong process and starts from the day you are born. It helps in the formulation of correct attitude, values and beliefs, and it includes gender, intimacy, affection, interpersonal relationships and reproductive health. The ideal age for public school related sex education is ideally twelve years. (Irvine, 2002) (Went, 1985) Where Why And How Should It Be Taught? Sex education in schools ought to be taught as a separate subject and needs to be treated at par with the other subjects, with special regards to sciences and social studies. Likewise assessment tests should be held on a regular basis to assess the knowledge of students and corrective measures taken in due course. Sex education, as discussed earlier, is a perquisite to curtail the spread of sexually transmitted diseases like HIV/STD and is essential to put a stop to teenage pregnancies through the judicious use of contraceptives. (Irvine, 2002) The best teachers are parents, as a child imbibes what is taught at home, before implying it to practical use. Nonetheless, formal sex education in schools is of vital importance as it provides that missing edge in terms of practical usage. (Irvine, 2002) Teaching Sex! Sex education is of vital importance and is taught to instill the correct moral values in a child and while parents are often considered its first (informal) teachers, the formal training with a proven course material can only be provided through the means of a public school curriculum. Parents, often considered the caregivers and the primary sexuality educators of their children, familiarize their child with the essence of love, touch, relationships, attitudes and values. Books, television and the internet are often considered invalid sources of sexual education and need to be supported by a school based curriculum. Likewise, the decision of the state is supreme and if a state wishes AIDS to be included in the course material, the need has arisen through a detailed analysis and should therefore be included without batting an eyelid. (Minor, Muyskens, & Alexander, 1971) Parents ‘Can’ Teach Parents need to remember that they can never take the place of teachers and while they cannot teach sexual education as it is taught at school, they can always contribute by instilling the correct morals and ethics in their children. They can also familiarizing their child with the importance of the almighty, with special regards to the church. Nationalism and respect towards others can also be taught at home. (Bailey, 2004) (Grams, 1970) When Can it Be Taught? Age is no bar for sexual education and when a child learns to walk and can speak coherently, he/she can be taught the basics of sex education in a manner which makes him/her comfortable and at ease with the subject. Formal education is only possible through a well researched curriculum, which in turn, can be taught at school. (Bailey, 2004) (Irvine, 2002) Morals And Values In Sex Education Morals and values are directly related to sex education and while the former is taught at home, the latter, although taught primarily at home, is nurtured through the means of a well researched course material, one that can only be imbibed through the means of a trained professional. (Minor, Muyskens, & Alexander, 1971) The Need For An Alternative Although there is no immediate need for an alternative but changes are eminent in the society. If we continue to impart knowledge through the means of the age old curriculum, students would never learn the current sexual issues with special regards to gay and lesbian attitudes and the rise of internet pornography. (Bailey, 2004) An Ideal Implementation In order to change the present curriculum on sex education, the state department, the heads of various public schools and renowned professors of sexology, need to implement a methodology which is in tune with the present sexual issues and has the capability to resolve futuristic issues pertaining to the sexual well being of a young individual. The need for serious meetings and discussions is a prerequisite for formulating a futuristic approach for tackling sex related problems through the means of an effective public school education program. Hence, the time is perfect for the subject of sex education to be given its due importance. If we are to throw light on American sex education, we would realize that only two forms exist till date. The first is comprehensive sexuality education, which starts at the kindergarten level and continues till class 12, while the other is called Abstinence Only. While the former is a medically accurate program for the sexual development of a human, the latter promotes abstinence from all sexual behaviors and hence denounces the inclusion of contraceptives and disease control measures. (Newman & Tilke, 1989) Differing Morals And Values Two people of the same age group can have different values and morals. They may look alike, study in the same class and follow the same curriculum, nonetheless, their basic attitude towards life may differ, with special regards to sex education. Have you ever wondered why a specific individual is sexually correct while the other completely his/her opposite? Well, the answer is very simple-it is because their values and morals differ and hence they cannot comprehend the same study material in a similar fashion. One of the main reasons why the morals and values of two individuals studying in the same class and undergoing the same sex education curriculum differ is because they belong to two different families and their backgrounds stop them from thinking alike. So, over here, their views are influenced by their primary sex education teachers, their parents. (Newman & Tilke, 1989) (Minor, Muyskens, & Alexander, 1971) Another reason for the gap in ethics and morals could be geographical diversity, which in turn is influenced by sex, caste, race, color and creed. Two ethnic set ups would have two separate beliefs and this in turn would lead to a difference in morals and ethics. Nonetheless, if we are to teach the ethics of sex education to public school regardless of the existing socio economic diversity and differing morals, the need of the hour is to include both parents as well as their children as potential learners. If parents are taught the correct methodology, their children are sure to benefit through the means of this twin training program. (Minor, Muyskens, & Alexander, 1971) Conclusion Sex education in public schools is of vital importance and while most schools in America lack a standard curriculum, the need of the hour is to device a methodology through which the ethical and moral values of the system can be instilled in the correct fashion. In order to have an ethical set up, it is important that the Federal government, which also acts as a major funding agency, takes initiative in implementing a well researched core curriculum by adopting the methodologies of both the state as well as the local bodies. (Bailey, 2004) Likewise, in order to ensure that the program is effective enough to invoke the ethics and morals of its students, head of schools, teachers as well as sexology professors need to be included while formulating the course material. Besides training the students, even parents need to be made aware of the importance of sex education and hence, a separate coaching class ought to be held with an aim to educate the elders with the basics of sexual education and the manner they can impart their acquired skills to educate their children at home. If this two pronged methodology is allowed to formulate, not only would the children be ethically and morally correct, they would also have adequate support from their parents, who by then, would have supposedly gained an insight on the basics of sex education. In this way, the question of moral as well as ethical differentiation would never arise and regardless of the socio-economic differences, sex education in public schools would always maintain its ethical standards. Last but not the least, after having devised and formulated an ethical sex education curriculum, the last step is to hire a trained professional-one who is capable of executing the task to perfection. (Irvine, 2002) Works Cited Bailey, K. (2004). Sex Education. Greenhaven Press. Grams, A. (1970). Sex Education: A Guide for Teachers and Parents. Interstate Printers & Publishers. Irvine, J. M. (2002). Talk about Sex: The Battles Over Sex Education in the United States. Los Angeles: University of California Press. Minor, H. W., Muyskens, J. B., & Alexander, M. N. (1971). Sex Education: The Schools and the Churches. Detroit: John Knox Press. Newman, J., & Tilke, A. (1989). Sex Education: A Guide to Evaluation of Materials. Youth Libraries Group of the Library Association. Went, D. (1985). Sex Education: Some Guidelines for Teachers. London: Bell & Hyman. Read More