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.

ONE® Condoms supports sex positive decision making and increased condom use to eliminate the spread of diseases. A portion of every ONE® Condoms sale goes towards HIV/AIDS prevention efforts at home and abroad.

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

Effective in the second semester of the 2011-2012 school year, sex education, including oral sex education, becomes mandatory in New York City’s public high schools and middle schools. A year away from implementation, department of education officials have started to formulate and recommend a projected curriculum.

Under the possible new sex education syllabus high school students could analyze the cost of condoms and research routes to local birth control and STD testing clinics. Middle school students might sort “risk cards” to determine the overall safety of various activities such as mutual masturbation, french kissing, oral, vaginal, and anal sex. Lessons could include role playing on resisting sexual advances and on negotiating necessary condom use with a partner. Students will be told to either “abstain or use condoms” and that “both are responsible healthy choices.”  Teens will be presented with topics that explore sexual positions, phone sex, fetishes, vibrators, and others. 

These lessons are all under the umbrella of The Department of Education’s current curriculums of Reducing the Risk (for High School Students) and HealthSmart (for Middle School Students). These research-driven sex risk reduction programs have been shown to help delay the desire for sexual intercourse, increase contraception use, and stimulate parent-child sex talks. The lessons in the program will focus on medically accurate information as well as developing students communication skills, the aversion of high risk situations, and recognizing a healthy versus an unhealthy relationship.

New York City needs these sex education programs to help students make well-informed decisions about their sexual health. According to the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, 1/3 of NYC’s Chlamydia cases were reported in teens age 15-19 years old. The City’s School Chancellor has stated, “we cannot stick our heads in the sand.” Action is needed. 

ONE Condoms is a direct supporter of initiatives that fully advocate spreading awareness of sexual and reproductive health. In support of sexual education, ONE Condoms donates a portion of every sale to HIV/AIDS education and prevention efforts at home and abroad.

What is your take on NYC’s new sex ed curriculum to middle and high schoolers?