Sex education should be taught in public schools for many reasons.

For instance, if it was still being taught, the rate of STDs and teen pregnancies could be lowered. The students would get the information they need to make informed discussions. Education is the best way to help students to do the right thing. They could also discuss the dangers of STDs and how teens getting pregnant at such a young age is very difficult and how it can change their lives forever. The children would also learn about condoms. They would get information about what they are, how they are used, and how they prevent pregnancies, but not STDs. They would also learn about different types of birth control and how it works and where they can get it. Students arent getting the information that they need to from the right sources. Talking to friends isnt the best way to leant about such important things. Many students dont know how to prevent catching an STD because the information is no longer available in school. Parents also dont give this information to their children because of three reasons. One, the Parent doesnt know how to approach their child about the subject or they dont know what to say about it. The second reason is that its an uncomfortable subject to be talking t o their child about. Thirdly, it could be that the parents are too busy with their own daily schedule and they dont have time to sit down and talk about sex with their child. If sex education was still being taught in public schools, it would answer a lot of questions the students have about the subject. It would also break the ice with their parents and allow the children to open up about the subject to learn more about it outside of school. They would know that they can go home and talk to their parents or other family members about the subject they want to know more about. Students would also learn about the free clinics in the area that they can go to for help or more information. For example, in my community they have whats called Prohealth. Prohealth is a clinic for teens who are embarrassed to talk to their friends and family about sex, STDs, or even pregnancy. There are nice people at Prohealth who keep everything confidential and answer any questions teens may have. Prohealth has all kinds of information that students should know about. They will show teens how condoms work, how they are used properly and how they prevent pregnancies. They highly recommend that teens who are searching for answers wait as long as they can before having sex, but if they dont wait then Prohealth offers them free condoms and explains to them that it would be in their best interest to use them every time they have intercourse. Then they would give the teen pamphlets with the information they need to know when they leave the clinic. Now that students arent being taught sex education, the pregnancy and STD rate has increased over the years. The children who catch an STD dont understand how they caught it or who they caught it from. Then, they have questions that wont be answered because they are too embarrassed to tell

anyone about their situation. So they have to live with the STD the rest of their life. As their life goes on, they begin to realize that the STD is never going to go away. They have to live with it. The worst part about having an STD is that they have to tell every partner they are with at the time. Most times when they tell their partner that they have an STD, the partner will go get tested. In many situations the partner leaves because they dont want to catch it, or they are embarrassed. In conclusion, if sex education was being taught in public schools these situations could be prevented. They could also be approached differently by the teens. The teen pregnancy rate could be lowered along with the STD rates. Students would be provided with the information they need to prevent getting an STD or getting pregnant at such a young age. They would also learn about many places they can turn to for information or help with any situation they got themselves into. If sex education was being taught, they could open up to their parents about it and receive information from someone they know and are comfortable talking to. I think the school board should put sex education back into public schools so the students have the information available to them and to prevent higher pregnancy and STD rates.