As a recent graduate of Oak Park and River Forest High School, I received a complete lack of sex education. I sat in health class as my teacher used stigmatizing language, assumed we “knew everything we needed to” and provided abstinence as the only contraceptive.
Implementing a comprehensive and inclusive sex education curriculum in a structure that maintains accountability is the best sex education we can give students.
Illinois guidelines do not require sex education be taught in schools, but rather, grants individual school districts the ability to elect teaching sex education. District 200 elects to teach comprehensive sex education and claims to meet all required guidelines in their yearly catalog. Clearly, the structures to ensure students receive the sex education they deserve are severely lacking.
The rising attack on sex education nationwide, and the Illinois districts that are left unaccountable, are increasingly worrisome. Making sure comprehensive sex education is in our public schools is more imperative than some parents might think; one study suggests that only about one in five teens, age 15-19, received some type of sex education from parents or guardians.
If students are not receiving proper sex education in school, they may turn to untrusted sources. I know that if my mom was not someone who welcomed conversations about sexuality and sexual health, I would have been at risk for misinformation. A 2016 survey conducted by the Boston University School of Public Health found that 54% of participating teens had watched pornography in order to learn something about sex. Porn is undeniably dangerous to teens, boasting misogynistic rhetoric, displaying sex in profoundly unrealistic ways that misinform adolescents, and promoting violence.
Having comprehensive sex education at OPRF models for adolescents that having open dialogue for their questions is safe and productive.
As someone who loves the OPRF community, it pains me that something as crucial as sex education still falls through the cracks. The health, safety, and well-being of children and teens should be of utmost importance, and sex education is a critical avenue with which to fulfill these priorities.
Sources:
OPRF H.S. yearly catalog
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/sex-education-is-under-attack-by-a-wave-of-proposed-legislation-advocate-warns, May 25, 2024
Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS) IL state profile