25 Years and 250,000

Teen Pregnancies Later

COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH EDUCATION ACT:
Y OUNG WOME N I N SOUT H
CA ROL I NA WI L L BE COME
PREGNANT BY AGE 20
The Comprehensive Health Education Act
(CHEA), passed in 1988, was enacted to
standardize health education and sex
education in public schools. Legislators
believed the detailed law would curb the
growing teen pregnancy and STD rates.
The intention of the law was to clarify:
Now 25 years later, unintended pregnancy and the
spread of HIV are still major issues aecting our state
and youth. One surprising reason? The CHEA. The
law, as written, has signicant weaknesses. There are
no objective evaluation processes in place to make
sure the law is being followed as it was intended.
Theres no way to verify students are learning that
condoms are a way to prevent pregnancy and STDs.
Theres no way to verify if teachers are spending
enough time explaining the basics of reproductive
health. Theres no way to verify that sex education
lessons are based on medically accurate facts and
evidence-based materials or if personal opinions,
religious beliefs and other non-scientic perspectives
have made their way into the classroom. Beyond the
honor system, we simply dont know how time is spent
in the classroom and what students are learning.
There is a growing amount of research that calls for
strong comprehensive sex education programs. The
latest example was commissioned by the New Morning
Foundation, a South Carolina reproductive health
advocacy organization. A Sterling Opportunity: 25 Years
After the Comprehensive Health Education Act suggests
theres a critical need to reevaluate the CHEA and work
as a community to ensure youth gain good information
to make the eective decisions about their health.
how much class time each
student is required to receive
on reproductive health
what information is appropriate
to teach at each grade level -
grades K5 include nutritional
health; grades 68 include STD
prevention; and, grades 912
include pregnancy prevention
that adoption, the risks of
unmarried sex, and abstinence
must be emphasized
in sex education
who has the authority to approve
instructional materials
school boards may oer
professional development
to CHEA teachers.
10
3
/
PROBLEM #1
NO ACCOUNTABILITY.
The Sterling Report notes that while districts may be
implementing key pieces of the CHEA, there is a serious
lack of reporting. 75 percent of districts that reported
were found to be in violation of at least one of the
reproductive health education portions of CHEA. The
study found that of the 69 districts that responded
to the 2011 CHEA compliance survey, only 44 percent
reported teaching STD and HIV prevention in grades 68.
As it stands, theres no accountability, evaluation or
monitoring of whats being taught or for how long.
Despite the fact that the law mandates an annual
CHEA compliance survey, 16 districts almost
one in ve did not submit the information to the
SCDE in 2011. South Carolina health education
needs stronger monitoring and evaluation.
$
4
.
1
b
i
l
151,849
teen births
FROM 1991 TO 2008, SC TEEN BIRTHS
HAVE COST THE STATE $4.1 BILLION
75% OF SC SCHOOL DI STRI CTS ARE
NONCOMPLI ANT WI TH THE CHE A
districts
22
districts
63
COMPLI ANT VS. NONCOMPLI ANT
ON AVERAGE, THERE ARE 68 CASES OF
CHL AMYDI A OR GONORRHE A REPORTED
AMONG SC ADOLESCENTS EVERY DAY
STDs AMONG SC YOUTH
68
68
68
68 68
68
68
68
68
68
68
68
68 68
68
68
68
68
68
68
68
68
68
68
68
68 68
68
68
68
TEACHERS ARENT TRAINED.
PROBLEM #2
Teachers themselves indicate reproductive health
training as the most needed professional development
area. Thats not surprising now that the Sterling report
revealed exactly who is teaching sex education
in schools. The most common instructor is a P.E.
teacher or a science teacher, and, in some cases,
the school nurse. Teachers are expected to provide
sex education instruction without the benet of
subject-specic training. Wed never expect math or
science classes to be taught by English or history
teachers. Shouldnt we demand the same level of
expertise in students reproductive health education?
South Carolina students deserve to be taught by
trained, qualied and certied health teachers.
SC DEPART ME NT OF E DUCAT I ON GRADUATI ON REQUI REMENT S
REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH EDUCATION
12.5
NOT REQUI RED
ENGLISH/LANGUAGE ARTS
US HISTORY & CONSTITUTION
OTHER SOCIAL STUDIES COURSE(S)
MATHEMATICS
ECONOMICS
PHYSICAL EDUCATION/JUNIOR ROTC
SCIENCE
US GOVERNMENT
COMPUTER SCIENCE/FOREIGN
LANGUAGE/CAREER & TECHNOLOGY
ELECTIVES
hours course
840
480
480
360
120
120
120
120
60
60
NOT TEACHING FACTS.
PROBLEM #3
While the primary goal of the CHEA was to
standardize health education, the Sterling report
has revealed theres no standard method of
delivering instruction in sex education, nor is there a
standardized textbook or curricula. Most textbooks
used in South Carolina school districts fall short
of providing full and medically-accurate sexual
health education. For example, some texts:
Refer to key terms without dening them
Describe fertilization without connecting
it to sexual intercourse
Focus exclusively on abstinence
Do not present contraception as a means to prevent
pregnancy or condoms to reduce STD risk.
At the core, sex education should provide South
Carolinas young people with medically accurate, age-
appropriate information about how their bodies work
and how they can protect themselves from unintended
pregnancies and STDs. Young people need facts to
avoid risky behavior. All health programs should
be age-appropriate and medically-accurate.
HARMFUL
MEDICALLY ACCURATE
NOT RECOGNIZED
REPRODUCTI VE HE ALTH EDUCATI ON
MATERI ALS USED IN SC SCHOOLS
24%
24%
66% [14%]
shared
OF SC MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS
HAVE HAD SE XUAL INTERCOURSE
OF SC HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
HAVE HAD SE XUAL INTERCOURSE
>50% 19%
SC FAMILY STRUCTURES (OF THE 33% WI TH KIDS)
PROBLEM #4
DISCRIMINATION.
The Sterling report has shown that, in some school
districts, students are taught outdated notions of
what a family should look like, and some materials are
continuing to instill harmful, outdated gender roles as
part of sexual health education. Materials reinforce a
societal double standard where women should control
their sexuality while men simply act upon theirs.
Research shows that language promotes victim-blaming.
Youth in some school districts are taught that marriage
is the only legitimate family structure. This outdated
and potentially damaging message tells the 33 percent
of South Carolina youth that live in single-parent
households (not to mention all foster children) that they
arent a part of real families. School should be a place
where all kids feel safe and accepted, not shamed
and embarrassed. Health instruction materials must
be sensitive to all family structures and situations.
HUSBAND-WIFE
HOUSEHOLDS
NON BIOLOGICAL
PARENT HOUSEHOLDS
53%
14%
FEMALE FAMILY
HOUSEHOLDS
26% MALE FAMILY
HOUSEHOLDS
7%
PROBLEM #5
LOCAL CONTROL IS OUT OF CONTROL.
The CHEA requires that each school district create a
13-member health advisory committee (HAC) to aid
the local school board with sex education curriculum
development. However, the Sterling report study tell us
that in too many districts, HACs dont always have the
required members, dont convene, or convene in chaos.
While the CHEA states each HAC should have two health
professional members, 22 districts failed to meet the
requirement. Among the HACs that did comply with
membership requirements, nine didnt meet during
the 2010-2011 school year. Non-responding school
districts and those who admit they are in violation
of HAC requirements add up to ve in ten school
districts. That means 50% of school districts have
an incomplete or inactive HAC as a resource. Their
members receive limited-to-no training on course
development, age-appropriateness, or evidence-
based sexual health programs. This lack of training
breeds an environment where personal opinion
often overrides science. Health Advisory Councils
need more guidance, structure and consistency.
WHAT WE DON T KNOW:
HOW
decisions
are made
WHO
is on each
committee
WHAT
is discussed
WHEN
they meet
CONFRONTING THE CHAOS,
CONFUSION AND CRISIS
The problem is clear. We simply dont know how sex education is
being taught in South Carolina classrooms. And that wont do.
Tell Them believes South Carolina students deserve
medically accurate, age-appropriate sex education
instruction. If you agree, make your voice heard. Email
your state representatives now. Together, we can make
sex education more eective for students and a stronger
foundation for a more successful South Carolina.
Connect with us at:
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803.929.0088
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