New sex education standards released
My Prediction: Wingnuts will see this as an “OBAMUNISTIC PLOT TO ENDOCKTRENATE OUR CHILDRENS!” Malkin will froth over this for months as she never misses a chance to take shots at our educational institutions, and the religious right hate blogs and radio shows will be sounding the alarms about how the bullying program infringes on their freedoms — it’s all part of the RW industrial hate machine, and it’s great for some people to make money with.
Young elementary school students should use the proper names for body parts and, by the end of fifth grade, know that sexual orientation is “the romantic attraction of an individual to someone of the same gender or a different gender,” according to new sexual education guidelines released Monday by a coalition of health and education groups.
The non-binding recommendations to states and school districts seek to encourage age-appropriate discussions about sex, bullying and healthy relationships - starting with a foundation even before second grade.
By presenting minimum standards that schools can use to formulate school curriculums for each age level, the groups hope that schools can build a sequential foundation that in the long term will better help teens as they grow into adults.
Experts say schools across America are inconsistent in how they address such sensitive topics
Despite awareness of bullying, for example, Debra Hauser, president of Advocates for Youth, one of the groups involved with creating the standards, said some schools don’t address it - or at least not in relation to sexual orientation or gender identity, which is where she said a lot of the bullying occurs.
“They should tackle it head on,” Hauser said.
