What is sex education in elementary schools?
Hello everyone. I apologize for missing last week. For the past couple of weeks, COVID has been going around my house and between caring for/entertaining a three year old and the start of the semester, I had to take some time off. Luckily, everyone was healthy and, with the exception of a couple of fevers, we really were not hit particularly hard.
This week, I want to follow up on my previous post which looks at all of the βDonβt Say Gayβ laws across the United States. One thing that we are seeing is the focus on elementary schools, with children not being allowed to talk about LGBTQIA+ issues, including family members or stories with LGBTQIA+ people. When I talk about this, I often find that many people have misinformation on the purpose and focus of sex education for younger children, especially those in elementary school.
Sex education is a comprehensive term referring to age-appropriate and culturally appropriate information on sexuality, bodily development, consent, sexual orientation, and gender identity. Sex education has been part of elementary school curriculum for a while, though not always labeled as such. There are many benefits to early sex education at an age appropriate level, which βcan develop self-protective knowledge, skills, and intentions, including an increased likelihood of reporting sexual abuse and knowing how to respond in a dangerous situation, all without increasing anxietyβ (Goldfarb & Lieberman, 2021). Below, according to the SIECUS, are the main points of sex education for Elementary students:
As we can see, there is are a lot of different goals within sex education for elementary school students, many of which focus on growth, their bodies, and respect. Indeed, comprehensive sex education can prevent sexual violence, though more research is required on how to create better abuse prevention through educational programs. Many of these topics are things parents want their child to learn about, including reproductive health. Having honest conversations about bodies, boundaries, and respect can be part of a healthy educational system.
So this is what people are talking about when they talk about sex education in elementary school. I know it sounds scary to some people, but the main focus is on making sure children are safe and understand their bodies.
I will be moving this newsletter to Thursdays instead of Wednesdays due to the change in my teaching schedule, so I look forward to writing to everyone next week!