Sex Education in California Public Schools: Are Students Learning What They Need To Know?

Publication Date: September 2003

Publisher: American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California

Author(s): Phyllida Burlingame

Research Area: Education; Population and demographics

Keywords: unintended pregnancy; teenagers; sex education

Type: Report

Coverage: California

Abstract:

Despite recent improvements, California teenagers continue to have rates of unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STI) that would be considered a crisis in many countries. In fact, teen birth rates for California are higher than those for every other Western democracy in the world.1 This raises the question of whether the state's public schools are adequately educating young people about their sexual health. This survey of middle and high schools indicates that parents want quality sex education, but that schools' efforts to provide it face many obstacles.