sex education in the USA
In the USA, only 24 states and the District of Columbia have mandated sex education in schools. I believe that sex education in schools is important, especially during puberty. According to Coon, Mitterer & Martini (2019), puberty is the stage that reveals sexual maturity. Sex education is relevant in schools since most of the population starts engaging in sexual relationships at schools. The few students who learn about sex education learn from peers, the internet, or even their siblings. However, this should not be the case since most students will have messed up in one or another before learning sex education independently.
Schools have a great responsibility in delivering sex education and education on STDs since they spend most of the time with the children. Most of a child’s lifetime is spent learning than with a parent, which shows why schools will have the greatest responsibility to offer such education. Also, school is an institution where there are interactions between boys and girls. By offering sex and STDs education where there are both genders, it gives a different understanding, and students can easily understand them while at home. Also, tutors have trained personnel, and they know how to handle students, unlike most parents. Some parents fear talking about issues to do with sex and related disease, making it difficult for them to give such an education.
Parents also have a responsibility in offering early sex education since they spend most of the time with the child at their early stages of development. According to Coon, Mitterer & Martini (2019), parents should encourage their kids by giving closer supervision and emphasizing the need for delayed sexual involvement. With sex education, there are high chances of the individual engaging in early sex involvement, which shows why sex education is important. STDs results from sexual involvements, and therefore, offering sex education is also a way to prevent these diseases.