Hacking Sex Ed Policy Change
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Technology and community based interventions are critical in filling in the very real gaps in school-based sexuality education that leave young people under informed, unprepared, and vulnerable. However, comprehensive and inclusive sexuality education is foundational to lifelong sexual health and therefore a right of youth worth fighting for. Utilizing AMAZE, the online video and lesson series created to supplement traditional, school based sexuality education with non-judgemental, accurate, and inclusive information, this session will explore how young people, parents, and educators can do the arduous but necessary policy change work to ensure that all students are given a solid foundation for lifelong sexual health.
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Hacking Sex Ed Policy Change
- 1. Hacking Sex Ed Policy Change Kristina Romines, SIECUS State Policy & Outreach Coordinator
- 2. Introduction SIECUS affirms that sexuality is a fundamental part of being human, one that is worthy of dignity and respect. We advocate for the right of all people to accurate information, comprehensive education about sexuality, and sexual health services. SIECUS works to create a world that ensures social justice and sexual rights.
- 3. The State of Sexuality Education Less than half of all high schools and only 20% of middle schools in the United States provide all of the 16 topics identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as critical sexual health education topics
- 4. • Young people under the age of 25 accounted for more than 20% of new HIV infections in 2014. • In 2015, 64% of all reported chlamydia cases were among young people ages 15–24. • Half of the nearly 20 million estimated STIs each year in the United States continue to occur among people ages 15–24. Need for Sexuality Education
- 5. Sexuality Education Law & Policy 30 states mandate sexuality education +12 states mandate HIV/STD education 16 states require contraception to be covered if taught 30 states require abstinence to be stressed 4 states require education to be LGBTQ inclusive 10 states’ statutes include negative LGBTQ bias
- 6. What is comprehensive sexuality education?
- 7. Policy Pressure Points Federal State Local White House, Congress, U.S. Health and Human Services (HSS), U.S. Department of Education Governors/Executive, Office, State Legislatures, State Department of Education, State Boards of Education, State Department of Health Mayor, City Council, District Superintendents (District admin), District School Boards, School administration staff, Educator(s) Where policy is made and by whom
- 8. Inaction is just as powerful as action If you’re not informing policy decisions, someone else is: • “Sexual Risk Avoidance Education” • “Healthy Relationships” • “Evidence-based” • “Normalizing teen sex”
Editor's Notes
- The goal of this presentation will be to provide policy background and context in order to explore ways that we can utilize such advancements in youth, health, and technology as the AMAZE videos to do the arduous, non-sexy policy change work to ensure that all students are given a solid foundation for lifelong sexual health.
- Read SIECUS mission About me: state policy and outreach coordinator, involved in state and local policy monitoring and utilizing trends to inform strategies
- The availability of surveillance and reporting research shows that we are failing to provide young people with a foundation of sexual health information and skills they need to lead healthy lives. Less than half of all high schools and only 20% of middle schools in the United States provide all of the 16 topics identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as critical sexual health education topics.
- Health outcome data demonstrate inequity of access to sexuality education as well as sexual health services for young people. Young people under the age of 25 accounted for more than 20% of new HIV infections in 2014, with HIV infection rates increasing in some instances, particularly among Black and Latino young men who have sex with men. Further, in 2015, 64% of all reported chlamydia cases were among young people ages 15–24. In fact, half of the nearly 20 million estimated STIs each year in the United States continue to occur among people ages 15–24.
- Technology and community based interventions are critical in filling in the very real gaps in school-based sexuality education that leave young people under informed, unprepared, and vulnerable. Pros: cutting through controversy, impossible political climates, supplements limited information and supports teachers who lack appropriate training Cons: requires young people to find the resources or adults to provide them, young people need a strong foundation of education that builds upon itself with annual lessons Simply put, innovations like Amaze are a critical tool simply because the info isn’t there. However, we shouldn’t stop at filling in gaps. Goal: Comprehensive, K-12 sexuality education is foundational to lifelong sexual health and therefore a right of youth worth fighting for.
- In a school-based setting, typically its perceived to mean lessons encouraging abstinence as well as contraceptive use. SIECUS and our partners within FoSE (Future of Sex Education) define it as: High quality CSE provides science-based, medically accurate, and age- and developmentally-appropriate sexual health information to address the physical, mental, emotional and social dimensions of human sexuality for all young people. Taught by trained educators sequentially throughout students’ school years, CSE includes information and skill development related to a range of topics addressing human development, relationships, personal skills, sexual behavior including abstinence, sexual health, as well as society and culture. What’s missing? K-12: need for earlier interventions and teacher training Identity and expression: videos Healthy relationships: friendship and consent videos Digital safety and media literacy: porn Usefulness of AMAZE, the online video and lesson series designed for 10-14 yo and created to supplement traditional, school based sexuality education with non-judgemental, accurate, and inclusive information: Education tool: filling in the gaps Policy and advocacy tool
- AMAZE provides entry point into schools and provides policy education opportunities for decision makers listed here Information and implementation gaps (Age-range, teacher training, limited time/curricula, prohibitions) Examples that topics are not scary and can be taught in age and developmentally appropriate ways to young people. (Previously mentioned content areas) Policy decisions affecting Sex Ed: Federal programs, resources/funding, federal mandates/prohibitions, state statute, state standards, funding & resources, district standards/guidance/curricula, school board support or opposition, and resources. There is not now, nor has there ever been, dedicated federal funding for comprehensive sexuality education (CSE). Which is why I want to issue you all with the following challenge…
- Challenge: when we think about ways to innovate, we must not only think about how to get around difficult policies and political climates, but how to improve them. How can existing interventions designed to fill in knowledge gaps for youth also encourage them to improve the policies that created those gaps? How can we use technology to reach and influence the people on the previous slide as they make decisions on every level impacting the provision of sexuality education instruction? How can technological innovations help community organizations increase their capacity to do base-building, member engagement, leadership development, political education, policy advocacy, and coalition and alliance building? Why does it matter? Strong opposition (brief run down of terms)
- State Profiles: individual profiles of sexuality education and abstinence-only-until-marriage federal funding, programs, data, and policies in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the other U.S. Territories. State Legislative Report: updates on all state legislative activity pertaining to sexuality education instruction, provides an analysis of the more common instruction content topics and implementation factors. Content SIECUS Guidelines for Comprehensive Sexuality Education National Sexuality Education Standards National Teacher Preparation Standards for Sexuality Education AMAZE SIECUS: model state leg & me Kromines@siecus.org