Sex Education in School and the Impact it has on society

Sex Education in School and the Impact it has on society

Introduction

Sex education in schools has always remained a controversial topic, and a number of different views are present in this regard. Initially, when the concept was introduced, it was not well conceived and faced a lot of opposition, but with the passage of time and with the advancements in media and technology, the acceptability and the tolerability for the concept has increased. It is now observed that parents and caretakers of children prefer sex education in schools, out of the suspicion that their children would get the same through some unreliable and unauthentic sources, which would make the matters worse instead of providing right and useful information for the protection and positive use. The society has also been impacted by the addition of sex education in the curriculum of schools, the following paragraphs present an in-depth analysis of the impact placed on the society.

Discussion

Sex education is now supported by most of the parents in the USA, but there are still a few confusions that need to be clarified. First of all, the parents must be fully aware of the information that their children are getting at school regarding sex: this surveillance allows them to make sure that any negative value or unsuitable norm is not being imparted in them, which might be the case due to personal bias or prejudice of the teacher or administration. In addition, the information would assist the parents in getting ready for the questions that may arise in the minds of their children and have to be clarified (Henderson, Et al, 2007). If the parents are not fully aware of the lessons their children is getting at school, they might not be able to answer his questions properly and thus leave him wondering about them, or using negative means to get the information which might or might not be correct.

The two different types of Sex Education in Schools

It is eminent to mention here that two different schools of thought and consequently two different sex education programs are running in the USA schools: the Comprehensive Sex Education program and the Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Program. Both the have distinct approaches and address the different types of issues, thus playing different roles in the society (Kirby, Laris and Rolleri, 2006). A detailed explanation and the role that they are playing in the society are explained below:

Comprehensive Sex Education Program

The comprehensive sex education programs include all the clauses and facts regarding the sex education, including safe sex, STDs, body image, masturbation and contraceptives. The program generally starts at kindergarten and continues up to high school, where the children get information according to their grade and standard. All the topics and issues related to sex education, in the broad spectrum, are covered in this program and the children get complete information with the passage of time. The program serves well as far as the children are not overburdened with information and ...