that are milking the tax payers for the state sponsorship of religious practices would go broke.

Have you seen the list of fly by night abstinence only crack houses that have come into being with this crap?

I tell you - if I hear of them coming into my neighborhood schools I will ensure that they are run out of town on a rail.

With stds, and unwanted pregnancies, pedophiles and prostate cancers, you'd think Conservatives would rather have you die than understand your own body.

I guess the more you know the harder it is to dominate you, which is the real intent of Conservatism anyway.

I was considering doing some substitute organist work at a local Catholic Church and attended a service to get an idea of the order of service. When they asked the congregation to support the Pope's abstinance policy in Africa I found the next discreet moment to leave. I decided that I couldn't work in a place which supports such genocidal policies.

Having taught family life for much of my teaching career I can tell you without one shadow of a doubt that abstinence only education DOES NOT work.The more information you give teens along with wise advice about healthy choices the better chances these students will have in successfully navigating the treacherous minefield of high school.

I believe I have shared this on this blog before BUT if you have not seen The Education of Shelby Knox......PLEASE view it and share it w/ others. It was a documentary on the PBS show P.O.V. and has been used in special film presentations by Planned Parenthood groups. It is great!

I am not particularly impressed by abstinence only, or any other form of sex education in schools.  Does it do anything other than encourage sex?  'Well they're going to do it anyway' is not good enough of a reason in my book.

This discussion is the proper province of the family.  I was taught to respect my body, and not to engage in that sort of promiscuous behavior by my family.  And I did not.  It has made my relationship with my with that much more rewarding.

I also have objections to teaching this in school.  For religious reasons, I do not want to have my kids being taught that things my faith condemns are perfectly okay, and are in fact encouraged.  I will teach them myself, just as my family taught me.  How, by providing a strong family environment that is both nurturing and shows them how to be proper adults.

I know that many parents are don't that anymore, but they should.  I firmly believe we need to support education, but I also think parents need to take responsibility for their children's education too.  Some things are best handed down by the family.  If the parents won't take responsibility for themselves, then why should the children?

Matusleo

are your children. Unfortunately, many (I would say, even most) children today do not receive such a frank and beneficially thorough education from their parent(s) at home in calm and loving surroundings. Some parents simply shirk their duty (or don't know how to go about it), some children do not live in a home environment conducive to such a discussion, and the rest will unfortunately learn what they should not (much of incorrect or abusive) from their peers long before their parents even imagine it is time to talk.

We live in a sex-saturated society, the topic is hard to avoid from an early age. We also live in a congested society, and children are observant. Sex eduation is completely necessary, and it should be accurate and appropriate to the age level, like every other topic, which means professional educators should handle it.

I also understood that parents could often opt out for their children from portions to which they may have an objection.

I think a line has to be drawn somewhere.  If schools teach everything, then for what reasons should parents be involved in the lives of their children?

I suppose I just have a very hard time understanding how anyone could not love their children so much that they'd want to be involved.

that many children do not come from families where anything concerning their bodies is discussed including nutrition and exercise and, well, sex forget it.

I had students who didn't understand the rudiments of the menstrual cycle let alone how pregnancy occured. How are these kids to understand pregnancy prevention? Plus I had kids who had been sexually molested before they ever entered high school...the psychological impact by something that traumatic can change someone forever.The result is often promiscuity.

You cannot judge what one child needs by what your family provided you. I taught in an affluent suburban school. Imagine the needs of kids who live in urban envirnonments.

Research shows the best approach is comprehensive family life and like another post indicated parents can "opt students out" if they feel as you do. 

That bothers me greatly to know there are such negligent parents.

A good teacher can be fond of the children under their care, and can be vital in leading them rightly.  But they cannot be a parent.

This is why, despite my support for public schools in so many other ways, I am not particularly pleased with sex-ed courses. 

But as you say, there are far too many parents who are not worthy of that title.  I wish I knew how to solve that problem, but I would say such people need to feel a higher social cost for their negligence.

that comment was ment for matusleo.