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Oklahoma ranks 16th out of 50 when it comes to percent of schools teaching all 22 sexual health topics. New York has the highest percent of schools with 38.6%, while Idaho has the least with 3.4%.
Percentage of secondary schools in which teachers taught all 22 topics identified by the Center for Disease Control as a sexual health topic in 2020
Source: Center for Disease Control
Sex education is a way of providing information, skills, and understanding about various aspects of human sexuality to students. The goal of sex education is to give individuals the knowledge and skills to enable them to make informed decisions about their sexual health, relationships, and behaviors.
Sex education has long been attacked in many states, including Oklahoma.
Some argue that the topics discussed in sex education curricula are extremely sensitive and should only be addressed with a parent. In the past, critics claimed that sex education promoted sexual activity amongst students and encouraged risky behavior. However, research shows the opposite. In areas with comprehensive sex education, teen pregnancy rates dropped by an average of 3%.
Other critical indicators associated with teen sexual health also improved when exposed to sex education: lower rates of sexual activity, risk behaviors like unprotected sex, and STIs. Research further shows that inaccurate sex ed doesn’t reduce these outcomes but instead increases psychological harm by introducing shaming views.
Demonstrations of how “used” a person is if they have multiple partners over time (tape, chewing gum, etc.) and undertones that homosexuals are to blame for HIV and AIDS are still prevalent in sex education; the latter insinuation is mandated in Oklahoma’s abstinence-based HIV/AIDS education.
Sex education is often conceptualized as only educating students about reproduction, puberty, and sexual health. However, sex education curricula have evolved to address interpersonal relationships (such as healthy romantic relationships and indications of trafficking) and consent.
Sex education experts have pointed out that if students do not receive comprehensive education, many turn to inadequate or harmful sources to fill in their knowledge gaps.
This issue brief was written by Metriarch staff as part of our Data Lookbook.
Suggested citation
Metriarch. “Adolescent Health,” Data Lookbook (2024). URL: metriarchok.org/students-exposed-to-sex-education.
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