Announced in August 2011, New York City has mandated lessons on sexual health and sex education starting today. Public middle schools and high schools are now required to introduce sex education lessons into health classes.

At least one semester of health education is required in 6th or 7th grade and then again in 9th or 10th grade. Previously, the health classes did not include sex education. This has now changed.

What will be taught includes physiology, the understanding of male and female reproductive systems, recognizing healthy and unhealthy relationships, sexuality and sexual identity, handling unwanted sexual advantages, contraception methods, and how to prevent unwanted STD’s.

The NYC Department of education has implemented a “research-based sex risk reduction curriculum” called “Reducing the Risk”. Research has shown that this helps to increase the use of contraception among teens and increase parent-child communication about contraception. It emphasizes that students should use protection consistently and correctly when they become sexually active.

Students learn to avoid high risk situations and recognize healthy and unhealthy relationships by role-playing situations on resisting pressure to have sex. This has proven to have direct results of safe sex behavior.

The sex education mandate takes effect today in NYC high schools and middle schools.

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What do you think of NYC’s new mandate on sex education?