Sex education guidelines have been released to recommend that school-age children understand "sexual orientation"

Sex education guidelines have been released to recommend that school-age children understand "sexual orientation" (Alberta Times) A coalition of health and education organizations proposed new sex education to states and school districts on the 9th...

Sex education guidelines have been released to recommend that school-age children understand "sexual orientation" (Alberta Times) A coalition of health and education organizations proposed new sex education guidelines to states and school districts on the 9th, including that by the end of second grade, students should know the correct names of body parts; by the end of fifth grade, students should know that sexual orientation refers to romantic love for a person of the same or opposite sex. The non-binding guidelines aim to encourage schools to have age-appropriate discussions about sex, bullying, healthy relationships and other issues, and lay a solid foundation before second grade. Schools can design curricula for each age group based on the guidelines, which will help teenagers grow into adults smoothly in the long run. Deborah Houser, chairwoman of the Youth Defenders group who participated in the formulation of this code, said that discussions of sensitive issues in schools in the United States are very inconsistent. For example, even if some schools know that bullying exists, they do not address it, let alone bullying related to sexual orientation and sexual identity, which is an issue that should be addressed head-on. The new guidelines include that, by the end of second grade, students should know the anatomically correct names for male and female body parts, understand that all living things reproduce and that everyone has the right not to be touched by others if they don't want to, and that students in the lower grades should be able to identify with various family structures and explain why bullying and teasing is wrong. By the end of fifth grade, in addition to knowledge about puberty, students should also understand the definitions of sexual harassment and sexual abuse; middle school graduates should be able to identify gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation; should be able to explain why rape victims are not wrong; and should know the signs and effects of bullying, dating violence, and sexually transmitted diseases; high school graduates should evaluate the effectiveness of abstinence, condoms, and other "safer sex practices" and know methods of emergency contraception. Some experts praised the code for encouraging early sex education among students; others said the code should focus on abstinence, just as the success of anti-smoking campaigns in past decades was due to strong advocacy. Organizations involved in developing the guidelines include the American Health Education Association, the American School Health Association, the National Education Association-Health Information Network, the Association of State Health and Physical Education Leaders, and the Future of Sexuality Education Project.