Sex Education Could Start in 4th Grade in One State

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A controversial new law could force schools in Kentucky to start sex education in fourth grade, according to Lexington Herald Reader.

What would this mean for Latinos? Teen pregnancy? Mental health?

A Big Proposal for Earlier Sex Education

Kentucky (3.5% Latino) has the seventh-highest teen birth rate in the United States.

Tom Burch, a state representative, introduced House Bill 80 to lower those rates by arming students with more knowledge about their body, according to Lexington Herald Reader.

Sex education is not mentioned in some homes because it can be hard to talk about, or embarrassing for parents and kids.

Schools thus are sometimes the main path to sex education.

Most schools are required to teach sex education. But it’s usually to older students starting in sixth grade, when some are already sexually active.

House Bill 80 would force each Kentucky school district to plan to teach human sexuality education by the 2019-20 school year. The curriculum would be taught by certified educators. It would include instruction on prevention of sexually transmitted diseases, personal body safety, human growth, and human sexuality and development.

Each district’s plan would be developed by an advisory group of lay people and school and community professionals appointed by the superintendent.

“Fourth- and fifth-graders would receive one week of introduction, sixth- through eighth-graders three weeks, and high school students one semester as a requirement for graduation,” according to Lexington Herald Reader.

Why This Matters to Latinos

Latina teen birth rates reached all-time lows in recent years.

But there’s bad news.

The birthrates for Latino teens are still twice as high as those for white teens.

Certain states also have worse rates than others (to find out ten pregnancy issues in your community, visit the Office of Adolescent Health).

Sex Education Can Lead to a Healthy Mind

The decisions kids make can impact not only their health, but their mental health.

Sex education covers multiple potential decisions and their consequences. It covers abstinence, healthy relationships, protection for STDs, and sometimes pregnancy prevention.

Mental health is also a rising consideration.

Young women ages 15-19 who have a mental illness are almost three times more likely to give birth than their peers without mental health issues.

For mothers of any age, postpartum depression is a risk after birth.

Postpartum depression in teens is twice as high as it is in mothers above the age of 25, Seleni reports. Not only are these young mothers affected by postpartum, but many of them are without support, shamed, and not encouraged in their role as mothers.

All of that on top of the normal pressures of being a teenager.

“30 years of public health research clearly demonstrates that comprehensive sex education can help young people delay sexual initiation while also assisting them to use protection when they do become sexually active,” according to Advocates for Youth.

Youth mental health is greatly affect by unintended pregnancies.

If sex education has proven to lower rates of teenage pregnancy, which also has the potential to help mental health issues in young parents, why aren’t policies changing?

How to Help Change Sex Education Policies in Your Community

According to Advocates for Youth,  you can do several things to encourage policy change in your community for sex education.  

• Urge your Members of Congress to support the Real Education for Healthy Youth Act, in person, by phone, or online.
• Contact your school board and urge them to adopt the National Sexuality Education Standards and require comprehensive sexual health programs.
• Join a School Health Advisory Council in your area – both young people and adults are eligible to serve on most.
• Organize within your community – a group of individuals, or a coalition of like-minded organizations to do one or all of the above.

What will you do?