Sex education, while essential for students to receive, has outdated, poorly-timed systems in place. As of 2023, sex education and/or HIV education are required in 38 states, according to the Guttmacher Institute.

Research has long determined that abstinence sex education does not decrease sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) or unplanned pregnancies. According to a 2018 study published by the American Public Health Association, federally funded abstinence-only sex education curriculums in public schools actually increased the number of teen pregnancies among high school students. This is likely due to the fact that abstinence-only education stigmatizes sex and often withholds medically accurate information regarding sex. SPA does not teach abstinence-only sex education but rather educates students on various forms of contraceptives and explains abstinence as one of many choices students can make through its robust and multidimensional human sexuality curriculum.

Comprehensive sex education curricula vary from state to state and school to school. The National Sex Education Standards recommend that sex education begins in kindergarten and teaches age-appropriate information throughout each stage of development through high school. The timing of students’ introduction to sex education and how it is built upon itself throughout their school experience is crucial to its value.

I first encountered SPA’s sex education curriculum in fifth grade when my peers and I were given an in-depth, multi-day introduction to the topic. From there, my class learned about sex through a biological lens in sixth grade science classes. In the upper school, my tenth grade wellness class discussed sex with an emphasis on contraceptives, and this year, senior retreat discussed sex with a focus on the importance of consent. The curriculum that I experienced successfully developed in depth as my peers and I moved through each division, but it began too late.

However, massive curriculum revisions have since been made across all three divisions. In the lower school, for example, a committee of counselors, homeroom teachers, and sex education specialists collaborated over the summer of 2021 to update and improve the curriculum.

Currently, students’ sex education begins in kindergarten. Throughout the first couple years of school, students learn about the correct names of their body parts, boundaries and safe versus unsafe touch. Students also learn about gender identity and expression, a concept that is recircled in later grades. Consent is a heavily stressed principle that is built upon from kindergarten through senior year.
Since Upper School counselor Emily Barbee was hired five years ago, the administration has discussed how to address sexual health in the SPA community. The way the school’s calander is layed out is one challenge, as wel as SPA faculty’s ability to deliver the necessary curriculum, according to Barbee. This school year, however, a group of seniors pushed for a more complete human sexuality curriculum in the Upper School, which they brought to the administration. Revision is underway in the Upper School to deliver a more consistent and broad curriculum.

The benefits of beginning sex education in school early are plentiful. While the primary purpose of sex education is often believed to be the prevention of pregnancy and the spread of STDs, there are many invaluable impacts of sex education that are often overlooked. For example, early sex education can also reduce child sex abuse, validate LGBTQ+ students, help students build an understanding of gender diversity, encourage students to establish personal boundaries, educate students on what a healthy relationship can feel like and create a safe environment for open conversations about sex, according to a 2021 study by Montclair State University public health professors. The evidence revealed that sex education, at its most effective, is introduced in kindergarten. Like any other fundamental subject, sex education should then be built upon throughout elementary, middle and high school.

While SPA introduces students to sex education early and therefore better equips students with the resources to understand the complexity of sex and their bodies and make safe and informed choices, there is room for improvement. There is a disconnect between the sex education curricula in each division, and more communication between administrators would improve the flow of information from grade to grade.

This article was updated to clarify the source of information about SPA-specific sex education and expand the information on the current curriculum.