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Gov. Haley Barbour has signed into law HB 999, a measure that requires Mississippi public schools to provide sex education. Previously, the state did not require school districts to teach sex education but those that did had to use an abstinence-only curriculum. Under the new law, districts must begin teaching sex education by the end of June 2012. The state standard will continue to be abstinence-only, though districts can elect to adopt an "abstinence-plus" approach, which covers topics such as contraception.
Districts "must choose one or the other," said Rep. John Mayo (D-Clarksdale). "You're not just going to ignore this problem."
In 2009, the latest year for which data are available, Mississippi led the nation in teenage births. Also that year, CDC's Youth Risk Behavior Survey indicated 61 percent of high school students in the state had engaged in sexual activity - the national average was 46 percent.
HB 999 gives local school boards "the authority to select the policy that they think is right for their community," said state Department of Education spokesperson Wendy Polk. "We will work with each district to provide training and resources to help them with their curriculum." Districts will be required to report which choice they make, allowing the department to study what works.
The law stipulates that students be divided by gender for sex education instruction, forbids condom use demonstrations, and maintains that abortion cannot be included as a means of birth control. Parents will be able to opt their child out of the classes.
Mayo noted that some dissenters have asked what business the state has in teaching children about sex. "The state has a financial responsibility because the health care costs for teenage pregnancies for unwed mothers are enormous," he said.
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