Teach what the Students want to Know.

School systems thrive on making their education program the best it can be. Nebraska thought they did just this when a large lump sum from the federal government was given to teach abstinence only. The abstinence only program teaches children nothing about sex, it’s just a regular health lesson. When the chapter about sex comes up, students are simply told, “don’t do it.” Students do not receive any information about protection, birth control, or how to use them correctly. If students don’t understand all there is to know about sex, then how can they make the right choices? Nebraska public school systems must teach sex education the correct way to ensure students can be safe in the choices they make with sex.

Sex education does not corrupt students but rather it helps them be prepared. Sex is a part of life, just like driving a car. We have students take drivers education to prepare them, sex education can be used in the same way. Teaching abstinence only simply leaves sex a big mystery and that doest not prepare them for when the time comes. Being prepared for anything in life is what school teaches us. School teaches us how to read, write, add, subtract, and even how to become apart of society. But why does the public school system leave out a big part of life? This is because the school system sees sex education as promoting sex.
Promoting sex is one thing but promoting safe and protected sex is the correct way. Teaching students how to put on a condom may be scary to any parent, but the outcome will be great.

Promoting safe sex will help reduce high school pregnancies. Parents will be happy to know their child is being safe and this can ease their minds. Public schools must teach sex education because parents don’t always have the talk. Parents avoid the talk at all costs because it’s awkward for them to tell their teenager about sex. If this was a required subject in Nebraska schools, then parents wouldn’t have to worry about this. Their child would be learning about sex in a safe environment and they wouldn’t be required to talk to their parents about this.

Nebraska public schools needs to take the issue of sex education into their own hands. Having sex education in schools will help promote safety and a life long education. We all learn about where babies come from in school, but what they don’t teach us is how to make them. Sex education needs to be a required course to allow students to make the right choices. Nebraska public schools needs to give the federal money back, and teach the students what they want to learn. Teaching sex education is a must for all public schools, especially in Nebraska.

Katie Moss