|
Georgia Local School Board Policies on Sex and Health Education
Most counties use one or more of the following texts (with minor variations in language but not in content) for their Policy on Sex/AIDS education
Text I.
The ... County Board of Education believes that the purpose of educational programs dealing with sex education and family life is to help students acquire factual knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values that contribute to the well-being of the individual, the family, the society.
Helping students attain a mature and responsible attitude toward human sexuality is a continuous task of every generation. Parents have the prime responsibility to assist their children in developing moral values. The schools should support and supplement parents’ efforts in these areas by offering students factual information and opportunities to discuss concerns, issues, and attitudes inherent in sexual behavior and family life, especially including traditional moral values.
Text II. (modified and shortened version of GEORGIA BOARD OF EDUCATION Code: IDB 160-4-2-.12 COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION PROGRAM PLAN)
(a) Disease prevention education – a planned program of instruction that provides information on how to prevent chronic and infectious diseases, including sexually transmitted diseases.
(b) Sex education/AIDS education – a planned program that shall include instruction relating to the handling of peer pressure, promotion of high self-esteem, local community values, and abstinence from sexual activity as an effective method of preventing acquired immune deficiency syndrome and the only sure method of preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. This instruction shall emphasize abstinence from sexual activity until marriage and fidelity in marriage as important personal goals.
Procedures shall be developed that allow parents and legal guardians to exercise the option of excluding their child from sex education and AIDS prevention instructional programs. Such procedures shall provide that, prior to making a choice to allow his/her child to participate in the unit instruction, a parent or legal guardian shall be told what instruction is to be included in the program and have an opportunity to review all instructional materials to be used, print and non-print.
The Board of Education shall appoint a Committee to review periodically sex/AIDS education instructional materials and make recommendations concerning age/grade level use. Recommendations made by the Committee may be approved, rejected, or modified by the Board of Education. The Committee shall be composed primarily of non-teaching parents who have children enrolled in the public schools and who represent the diversity of the students enrolled in the schools. The Committee shall be augmented by professional educators, health professionals and community representatives. The Committee shall include a male and female student currently attending the 11th or 12th grade in the public schools.
Some counties do not have a Sex education policy – in many of these cases it is a part of the Health education policy. For their Policy on Health education, many counties use some format of GEORGIA BOARD OF EDUCATION Code: IDB 160-4-2-.12 COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION PROGRAM PLAN:
Text III :
DEFINITIONS
A. Alcohol and other drug use education - a planned program of instruction that provides information about the use, misuse and abuse of alcohol, tobacco, legal and illegal drugs.
B. Disease prevention education - a planned program of instruction that provides information on how to prevent chronic and infectious diseases, including sexually transmitted diseases.
C. Sex education/AIDS education - a planned program that shall include instruction relating to the handling of peer pressure, promotion of high self-esteem, local community values, and abstinence from sexual activity as an effective method of preventing acquired immune deficiency syndrome and the only sure method of preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. This instruction shall emphasize abstinence from sexual activity until marriage and fidelity in marriage as important personal goals.
REQUIREMENTS.
A. The local board of education shall develop and implement an accurate, comprehensive health and physical education program that shall include information and concepts in the following areas.
1. Alcohol and other drug use
2. Disease prevention
3. Environmental health
4. Nutrition
5. Personal health
6. Sex education/AIDS education
7. Safety
8. Mental health
9. Growth and development
10. Consumer health
11. Community health
12. Health careers
13. Family living
14. Motor skills
15. Physical fitness
16. Lifetime sports
17. Outdoor education
B. Each school containing any grade K-5 shall provide a minimum of90 contact hours of instruction at each grade level K-5 in health and physical education.
C. Each school containing any grade 6-12 shall make available instruction in health and physical education.
D. Each school containing any grade K-12 shall provide alcohol and other drug use education on an annual basis at each grade level.
E. Each local board of education shall develop procedures to allow parents and legal guardians to exercise the option of excluding their child from sex education and AIDS prevention instructional programs.
1. Sex education and AIDS education shall be a part of a comprehensive health program.
2. Prior to the parent or legal guardian making a choice to allow his or her child or ward to take the specified unit of instruction, he or she shall be told what instruction is to be provided and have the opportunity to review all instructional materials to be used, print and nonprint. Any parent or legal guardian of a child to whom a course of study in sex education is to be taught shall have the right to elect, in writing, that such child not receive such course of study.
F. Each local board of education shall establish a committee to review periodically sex/AIDS education instructional materials and make recommendations concerning age/grade level use. Recommendations made by the committee shall be approved by the local board of education before implementation. The committee shall be composed primarily of nonteaching parents who have children enrolled in the local public schools and who represent the diversity of the student body augmented by others such as educators, health professionals and other community representatives. The committee shall also include a male and female student currently attending the 11 th or 12th grade in the public schools.
Text IV. is also sometimes included as part of Sex or of Health education Policy
Further, the … County School System shall include in its comprehensive health curriculum a program of study that includes information and concepts in sex education/AIDS education. The program of study shall be consistent with the provisions of state law and rules of the Georgia Board of Education, including an emphasis on “abstinence” before marriage and fidelity in marriage as the most effective means of preventing disease and unwanted pregnancy.
Appling County (12/16/2002) [Pop 17966, fem 15-19: 614; Preg rate: 73]
Text II.
The Appling County Board of Education shall not permit instructional materials to be used, print or nonprint, that emphasize anything other than abstinence from sexual activity until marriage and fidelity in marriage as important goals.
Atkinson County (8/14/2003) [Pop 8011, fem 15-19: 274; Preg rate: 113]
Text I with the word factual deleted in front of knowledge on line 2
Text II.
Text IV
Atlanta City Schools (8/13/1990)
The Atlanta Board of Education will provide instruction in the area of sex education, which will be taught as a part of a comprehensive health program at age- and grade-appropriate levels.
It is vital that students receive instruction in sex education in today’s society to give them information they will need to understand how their bodies function in relation to human reproduction and to avoid teenage pregnancy and sexually-transmitted diseases.
The Board acknowledges the sensitive nature of this strand of the health education curriculum and permits parents to exempt students from the sex education unit of the state required health course.
Parents who do not wish their child to receive sex education may submit a written request to remove the child from the health course at the time that the sex education unit is being taught. Students will not be allowed to exempt themselves from the sex education unit without parental permission.
1. Students who are removed from class for this purpose will be given an assignment in a health-related area that will cover the time missed from class.
2. Exempted students cannot be tested in the area of sex education and may not be penalized for non-participation in the sex education unit.
3. Exempted students will return to class to receive instruction in the other health units.
Bacon County (5/10/1993) [Pop 10330, fem 15-19: 303; Preg rate: 109]
Text I.
Text IV
Text III sections E & F
Baker County [Pop 4248, fem 15-19: 163; Preg rate: 31]
None available on web
Banks County (11/17/2005) [Pop 15685, fem 15-19: 452; Preg rate: 89]
Text III with the following addition:
On an annual basis, human growth and development (sex education) and AIDS prevention shall be taught to students, kindergarten through twelve unless exempted by parent request. The course of study shall be age appropriate and sequential. As a minimum, the course of study shall include:
1. Handling peer pressure
2. Promotion of high self-esteem and local community values
3. Abstinence from sexual activity as an effective method of prevention of pregnancy, sexually transmitted disease, and AIDS.
Baldwin County (5/11/93, 4/9/02 ) [Pop 45207, fem 15-19: 1771; Preg rate: 79]
Text IV
Text III
Barrow County (6/1/2004) [Pop 56418, fem 15-19: 1775; Preg rate: 73]
Text III (Uses Choosing the Best)
Bartow County (11/14/2000; 11/5/2001) [Pop 86972, fem 15-19: 2884; Preg rate: 86]
The Bartow County Board of Education has adopted an abstinence based sex education curriculum, and abstinence is defined as one’s having no sexual activity until marriage. The Bartow County Board of Education believes that contraception and pregnancy decisions are not the responsibility of the Bartow County School System, but that all contraception and pregnancy decisions should be made between parents and their children. Additionally, parental written permission shall be obtained prior to instruction regarding sex education/AIDS prevention. Parents shall be afforded the opportunity to preview materials.
At no time while on school system property, or at any official school system functions, or at any function whereby invitations may have been extended to students on school system property, shall any private citizen, or any representative, employee, volunteer, or other member of any public or private agency or organization, distribute to or direct students as to where they can acquire condoms, birth control pills, diaphragms, or any other contraceptive device or medication.
At no time while on school system property, or at any official school system functions, or at any function whereby invitations may have been extended to students on school system property, shall any private citizen, or any representative, employee, volunteer, or other member of any public or private agency or organization, provide to students or direct students as to where they can obtain abortion services, or other family planning counseling or services.
For the purposes of this policy, “directing students” shall include verbal, written, multi-media, and all other methods of conveying information.
This policy supersedes and is superior to any conflicting policies of the Bartow County Board of Education. If any part of this policy is ever found to be in conflict with state or federal law, only that part of the policy in conflict shall be null and void.
Ben Hill County (8/9/2005) [Pop 17343, fem 15-19: 634; Preg rate: 114]
Text I
Text IV
Text III section E & F
Berrien County (2/11/2003) [Pop 16680, fem 15-19: 542; Preg rate: 98]
Text III
Bibb County [Pop 155170, fem 15-19: 6355; Preg rate: 72]
None available on web
Bleckly County (11/9/89, 8/8/96) [Pop 12047, fem 15-19: 517; Preg rate: 48]
Text I
The sex education objectives found in the Quality Core Curriculum health objectives are used to provide sex education instruction in Bleckley County School System.
Abstinence from sexual activity as an effective method of prevention of pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, and AIDS will be stressed by the teachers throughout the entire instructional period involving these topics.
In addition to the requirements listed below, the customary policies and regulations concerning the approval of new curriculum content, units, and materials shall apply to any course(s) dealing with family life and sex education offered by the school system;
1. Instructional materials to be used in family life/sex education will be available for inspection by the parent or guardian during school hours.
2. If, after review of materials used and a conference with the instructor and principal, a parent requests that the student not participate in a given aspect of the course, an alternate educational assignment shall be arranged for the student with approval of the principal.
3. Teachers who provide instruction in family life/sex education will have professional preparation in the subject area, either the pre-service or in-service level.
Brantley County (2/12/2001) [Pop 15542, fem 15-19: 558; Preg rate: 79]
Text I
Text IV
Text III section E & F
Brooks County (5/10/2005) [Pop 16367, fem 15-19: 563; Preg rate: 69]
Text I
Text IV
Text III section E & F
Bryan County (12/14/1993) [Pop 27535, fem 15-19: 1114; Preg rate: 42]
Text III with the following wording of section E
The Bryan County Board of Education shall develop procedures to allow parents and legal guardians to exercise the option of excluding their child from sex education and AIDS prevention instructional programs.
1. Sex education and AIDS education shall be a part of a comprehensive health program.
2. Prior to the parent's or legal guardian's making a choice to allow his or her child or ward to take the specified unit of instruction, he or she shall be told what instruction is to be provided and have the opportunity to review all instructional materials to be used, print and non print. Any parent or legal guardian of a child to whom a course of study in sex education is to be taught shall elect that such a child receive or not receive such a course of study. Active permission must be obtained prior to any student's participation in such a course of study.
3. Specifically, sex education/AIDS education instructional materials to be used in the Bryan County Schools will not teach alternative life styles. Instructional personnel shall not provide instruction on alternative life styles.
4. Male and female students shall be separated when instruction in sex education/AIDS education is provided.
5. When contraceptives are discussed in sex education/AIDS education instruction, the failure rate of the contraceptives shall be given. Contraceptives shall not be demonstrated.
Bulloch County (6/24/2004) [Pop 60344, fem 15-19: 2990; Preg rate: 61]
Text II
Burke County [Pop 23189, fem 15-19: 889; Preg rate: 88]
None available on web
Butts County [Pop 22362, fem 15-19: 670; Preg rate: 85]
None available on web
Calhoun City Schools (9/23/2003)
Text I
Text IV
Text III section E & F
Calhoun County (10/9/2006) [Pop 6102, fem 15-19: 183; Preg rate: 153]
Text II
Camden County (2/11/2003) [Pop 45108, fem 15-19: 1847; Preg rate: 46]
Text IV
Text III section E & F
Candler County (4/24/2003) [Pop 10193, fem 15-19: 340; Preg rate: 141]
Text I
Text IV
Text III section E & F
Carroll County (7/11/2002, 3/15/2007) [Pop 101577, fem 15-19: 3909; Preg rate: 65]
Text III (Uses Choosing the Best)
Carrollton City Schools (9/1/1995, 11/1/1995)
Text I
Text IV
Text III section E & F
Catoosa County (11/2/93) [Pop 59845, fem 15-19: 1932; Preg rate: 56]
Text I
Text IV
Text III section E & F
Charlton County [Pop 10698, fem 15-19: 448; Preg rate: 56]
None available on web
Chattahoochee County ( ) [Pop 13506, fem 15-19: 551; Preg rate: 44]
None available on web
Chattooga County (4/10/2006) [Pop 26554, fem 15-19: 746; Preg rate: 62]
Text II
Cherokee County (5/6/2004, 5/18/2006) [Pop 174680, fem 15-19: 5736; Preg rate: 45]
Text III section E & F
Clarke County (9/12/1991, 10/10/2002) [Pop 103951, fem 15-19: 4705; Preg rate: 46]
Text II
The Clarke County Board of Education shall not permit instructional materials to be used, print or nonprint, that emphasize anything other than abstinence from sexual activity until marriage and fidelity in marriage as important goals.
Clay County (06/22/92 ) [Pop 3317, fem 15-19: 125; Preg rate: 56]
HUMAN GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT
A. Purpose
To articulate clear, instructional objectives throughout Clay District Schools by providing definitive guidelines for Human Growth and Development instruction in a program that will benefit the quality and longevity of the lives of the children of Clay County by promoting the establishment of sound health habits including the prevention of substance abuse and an awareness of the benefits of sexual abstinence and the consequences of early sexual involvement, such as AIDS, other sexually transmissible diseases, and teenage pregnancy.
Any programs that deal with human sexuality, presented by community organizations, School Board employees or through outside field trips shall reinforce the key objectives of this policy.
B. Focus
Focus shall always be on the whole person, including intellectual, physical, emotional, moral/spiritual, and social aspects as those terms are defined in "Foundations for Family Life Education" published by Educational Guidance Institute.
C. Key Objectives
The key objectives of instruction shall be: 1) directive teaching method; 2) abstinence based; 3) family centered; and 4) age appropriate. These concepts are defined more fully as follows:
1. Directive Teaching Method
In instruction involving decision making strategies, the teacher shall direct the student to choices of legal, ethical and moral dimensions that will promote health, abstinence, self control, character, self-esteem and maturity.
2. Abstinence Based
a.Abstinence shall be the instructional approach to reducing destructive behaviors among students including early sexual involvement, and activities which result in sexually transmitted diseases, AIDS, and teenage pregnancy. Abstinence shall be presented in the classroom as a positive, practical and that promotes self-control, character and self-esteem.
b.When presented with a dual message, such as "abstinence is best, but contraception works for those who do not choose abstinence," teens are confused and/or the abstinence message is undermined by the contraceptive message. As opposed to this message, teachers shall instruct students that sexual activity among teens is not inevitable; nor irreversible. Teachers shall not initiate discussion or instruction of contraceptives. Student questions that deal with definitions of contraceptives may be answered, but must include the documented deficiencies with the definitions. No further contraceptive information shall be given unless and until an individual student's parent or guardian provides written permission for further depth of instruction for the individual student. If further instruction is requested, the student involved shall be instructed individually by another educator, that is qualified to provide such information to the individual student.
Notwithstanding, the provisions of the above paragraph, with parent permission, teachers may present factual information about contraceptives to be taught in the following high school elective courses: Health II, Family Dynamics and Child Development.
The factual information shall cover deficiencies, failure rates, and negative side effects. Students shall be made aware that sex outside of a monogamous, heterosexual marriage is risky behavior, therefore; abstinence is the expected standard. Instruction shall direct students to risk "elimination" rather than risk "reduction".
3. Family Centered
The irreplaceable foundation of the family, as th |
