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Stephanie S.

Here's a little background info on textbook adoption in public schools nation wide. The Texas State School board meets, discusses, argues and bickers over which textbooks will best teach "state standards" in education. Then, schools can choose from those state adopted texts.

Most of the country follows the leader and adopts texts approved by the Texas State School Board. Of course, with adaptations for local information.


Last year the State of Texas had four texts to choose from to teach Personal health. Of those four, one referenced condoms. The other three contained information such as, "teenagers should “get plenty of rest” if they want to avoid sexually transmitted diseases,"(MSNBC). Abstinence is the focus of two of the books and the other vaguely mentions barrier protection.
One even goes so far as to say that, "Using a condom will not prevent an STD." OK, while a condom may not be 100% effective, its freaking better than nothing!

Do I think sex ed oughtta be taught at school? Hell yes I do. I have the choice to not have my child taught that subject if I choose not to.

Millions of parents in this country can't even mention the word sex around their kid, let alone talk about how to handle it safely and appropriately. If these kids don't learn it at school, where will they learn it?

As much as we'd all like to say, "I hate public education anyway'" or "It's the parents fault," its' ALL of our Problem when these kids contract STDs and turn to our public health dept for treatemnt. Its all of our problem when one of those kids gets pregnant and your tax dollars pay for the state medical care and welfare and WIC for the mother and baby.

So, Texas decided to adopt a book that teaches abstinence only, in keeping with their Christian values. (Anyone ever been to the Million Dollar Salloon? Nice Values Texas!)

Texas has the nation’s highest teen birth rate among girls age 15 to 17, and nearly half of all new sexually transmitted disease infections occur among people age 15 to 24. And guess what the new stats are?
More Texas teens have sex after taking abstinence course


Reuters reported that a study of teenagers in 29 high schools in Texas by researchers at Texas A&M has shown that abstinence-only sex education results in an increase in sex!

Reuters said, "The study showed about 23 percent of ninth-grade girls ... had sex before receiving abstinence education. After taking the course, 29 percent of the girls in the same group said they had had sex. Boys in the tenth grade ... showed a more marked increase, from 24 percent to 39 percent, after receiving abstinence education."

According to Reuters, the U.S. government will spend $130 million this year to fund abstinence-only sex education programs, despite the fact that they don't work and will likely lead to an increase in unwanted pregnancies and STDs.

Kudos to the Christian fundamentalists in Texas.
Idiocy oughtta be outlawed. Now THAT is a war I would support.

peace

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teufelfisch

Wow. I love your rhetoric.

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Niteshift

I must have missed where it was only Christian fundementalists that wanted abstinence education taught. Could you show me that part?

Should they be doing better? Yes. Is it fair to blame ONLY Christian fundementalists for it? Not if you're interested in the truth.

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Hiz Highness

I would like to see children taught about condom use, STD's and birth control in the public schools. It seems to me that a nation that allows home schooling should educate their citizenry in the most effective manner, not in the most "moral" as deemed by whatever group of people.

Let the parents who wish their children to remain ignorant of sexual matters home-school their children. Let the public education system make our future citizens aware of the reality of sexual diseases, the risks of unprotected sex, and the burden of unwanted pregnacies. It seems to me a responsible thing to do for the public. What does the public profit from teaching abstinence when we all know it's not going to be practiced?

-HH

MickityMike

This is kinda the problem with public schools in the first place: Who gets to decide what's taught and what's not?

What does the public profit from teaching abstinence when we all know it's not going to be practiced?

It's a valid point, yo, but unfortunately when talking about curriculum in the public sector it's irrelevant. The people aren't always interested in plain facts, but moral values as well.

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Niteshift

I'm just curious about something........

If a school board sides with a majority, does it mean that they are teaching the wrong thing or does it mean they are teaching what the majority in their area appear to want taught?

When did it become wrong for the taxpayers and parents to want the schools they fund to more closely reflect what they believe?

Mamabudz

Those that disagree can always...move to California

Higher Logic

Ah, such a wonderful liberal, progressive state

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Hiz Highness

Suppose the majority of Texan wanted to re-institute segregation. Would it be a correct policy to separate the races again simply because the taxpayers believe blacks shouldn't mingle with whites, or would it behoove us as a society to do what is right instead of what seems "moral" at the moment?

-HH

Mamabudz

No.

This is a clear instance of the Federal Law superseding the State Law for an overriding Public Policy Purpose.

Of course i wouldn't be too comfortable in the state of Texas after that fact if I were African American --- Damn I ain't too comfortable when I'm forced to go there now and I'm a Jew...