Jordan School District’s curriculum is requiring teachers to encourage abstinence (according to state law) and sexually transmitted disease testing as well. The Parent Teacher Association (PTA) also states that parents are the primary educators of their children in the area of sexual education.
According to the PTA’s “Sex education in public schools” resolution, The school sex education programs are made to support quality family living and teach about the reasons why students should remain abstinent until they are married.
However, if students are engaging in sexual activity then it is important that they know to get tested for STDs because they could spread them or become sick due to letting then go untreated.
“A lot of students are unsure whether or not contraceptives protect against STDs. Some contraceptives can help prevent STDs but none of them are guaranteed to work one hundred percent of the time. Condoms can easily get holes in them and tear,” said Liz Zentner, Utah PTA Health Commissioner.
Zentner talked about how teachers are allowed to teach students about what contraceptives are, but they are not allowed to encourage the use of them because it goes against the abstinence message that they are trying to get out to students.
The state PTA does not make the laws for the school board, and they can’t change them either.
They are doing all that they can to make it okay for teachers to teach more about contraceptives and be able to legally answer any questions that the students may have.
