The knowledge we gain in our youth becomes the building blocks to how we understand ourselves and the world around us. Sex education, as The American Academy of Pediatrics states, impacts overall social-emotional health with evidence supporting that comprehensive sex ed results in adolescents having a reduced rate of sexual activity, reduced frequency of unprotected sex, and increased rates of condom and contraception use.
This summer, Planned Parenthood of Illinois (PPIL) announced they would use a $525,000 grant to pilot a Chicago Healthy Adolescents & Teens (CHAT) program to promote STI testing and education to Chicago’s youth. In addition, they say they will extend their educational outreach services by 25%, reaching more schools and students through a partnership with Chicago Public Schools.
“We are excited to reach more students this school year,” said Cary Archer, PPIL Senior Manager of Education. “Sexual and health education empowers young people by increasing their knowledge and developing skills needed to take charge of their health, bodies, identities, and relationships. Having these conversations prepares students to make healthy decisions throughout life.”
Sex education is an extension of vital health lessons necessary to keep students about how their bodies should and should not feel or be treated.
While 38 states and the District of Columbia mandate some form of sex education and/or HIV education, only 17 of those require that the curriculum be medically accurate, according to Guttmacher. Twenty-nine states require teaching abstinence and 19 require instruction to include the importance of only engaging in sexual activity within marriage.
“Saying that sex within the context of heterosexual marriage is the only acceptable form of sex is excluding huge numbers of people – those who don’t get married, those who are not heterosexual, are not in heterosexual relationships. And it doesn’t speak to the reality of adolescence which is about developing sexual maturity,” said Dr. Eva S. Goldfarb, Professor of Public Health at Montclair State University.
Sex ed is optional for Illinois school districts but schools who do opt to provide it are required by state law to follow the Illinois Learning Standards for Comprehensive Personal Health and Safety and Sexual Health Education, based on the National Sex Education Standards. This covers Consent and Healthy Relationships, Anatomy and Physiology, Puberty and Adolescent Sexual Development, Gender Identity and Expression, Sexual Orientation and Identity, Sexual Health and Interpersonal Violence.
How early is too early to talk about sex?
Talking about sex is important, but when should you enroll a child in sex ed? Experts say earlier than you may think.
“The appropriate age is as early as possible, so kindergarten makes the most sense,” Dr. Goldfarb said.
In Chicago Public Schools, Personal Health and Safety Education & Sexual Health Education begins in preschool with lessons about personal space, different kinds of families and understanding body parts.
Sex education for younger learners looks very different than it does for high school seniors. Educators aren’t explaining STIs or showing labor and delivery videos to students.
“The truth is that the concepts that are taught in kindergarten first, second, and third grade are things that have been taught forever in our schools and are part of the early elementary curriculum and are not controversial,” explained Dr. Goldfarb.
She said that early conversations about “bodily integrity” and making decisions about your body, like accepting or denying hugs, serve as placemats for later conversations around consent and agency.
“Those are foundational concepts that will set the stage for later conversations in middle and high school about what makes good sexual and romantic relationships,” she said.
Elhom Karbassi is an educator at Sexpectations, a collective that provides sexual health information and resources to Black and brown youth in Chicago. In her 10 years of teaching sexual health and domestic violence, Karbassi said she’s witnessed the fear parents place on sex, sometimes working with parents who don’t want their child to learn about the subject.
“I’m like, ‘Okay, but do you want your kid to know how to advocate for themselves? Or if somebody was hurting them how to say no?’ That is what sex ed is,” she said.
Like parents, youth can also feel uncomfortable first approaching these topics. Stigma surrounding sex stems from many angles and can be difficult to overcome. Karbassi said it’s important to refrain from approaching sex ed from an adultism lens, and to allow for open discussion through empowerment.
“We come in and we’re like alright, you’re the expert on your body, and you’re the expert on what feels good for you…We’re just gonna give you some information and we also want to talk to you about it,” she said.
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