New York City District Plans Forum on Sex Education, Condoms in Schools

Rochester-area school leaders are planning a March community forum to discuss sex education and condoms in the city's schools.

Superintendent Jean-Claude Brizard, school board President Malik Evans and board member Cynthia Elliott said in separate interviews Friday that the levels of HIV and other STDs among young people, outlined in a Thursday presentation to the board, require action. "I don't think we have time to wait," said Evans, noting the data indicate "a serious, serious problem."

The city is facing an adolescent health crisis, Dr. Andrew Doniger, director of the Monroe County Department of Public Health, and Shelia Driscoll, director of the Metro Council for Teen Potential, told the school board.

Doniger cited Youth Risk Behavior Survey data showing 58 percent of ninth- through 12th-grade students in the city school district were sexually active, and 21 percent reported four or more partners. Preliminary data indicate that 35 of the 78 HIV cases reported last year were among people age 25 and under, he said.

Following her presentation on the rates of chlamydia and gonorrhea among city youths, Driscoll urged the board to take "practical steps" to address the crisis, including opening health clinics in schools serving seventh-through 12th-graders, dispensing condoms in those clinics, and inviting qualified community agencies to supplement the district's health education efforts. "Let's get youth engaged. Let's make sure youth are not naïve, and that they're fully informed," she said.

Driscoll said Metro Council's initiatives have the support of more than a dozen groups, including the Division of Adolescent Medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center, the city recreation department, and community health centers.

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.


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