Fight for your right...to sex ed: what you don't know can hurt you--and here's what five high school girls did about it... (Hot Topic).

As millions of teens are back to school, they're learning about all the usual stuff--history, math, science...and sex. Almost every public school teaches some form of sex education. The big question is, what kind of sex education are you getting and is it enough to keep you from becoming another statistic?

There is a huge national debate going on over what kids should and should not be taught in school about sex. No matter which side of the fence you or your school are on, it's important to know how access to sex education impacts you, your health and your future.

COMPREHENSIVE SEX-EDUCATION

When a school provides comprehensive sex-education, students are armed with as much info as possible--including how and where to get birth control and information about sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Supporters of comprehensive sex-ed feel that if students are well-educated, they'll be empowered to make smart, healthy decisions about sex and their bodies.

Supporters also say education is key in influencing teens to keep from having sex, thereby decreasing the number of unplanned pregnancies and STDs. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirm, in fact, that when taught comprehensive sex-ed, 83 percent of teens wait longer to have sex compared with those who are taught abstinence-only. So, why are students kept in the dark when it comes to information that could impact their health or alter their future? Read on.

ABSTINENCE-ONLY SEX-EDUCATION

According to a 2000 survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation, one in three schools teaches abstinence-only sex-ed. Students are taught, quite simply, that abstaining (not having sex until marriage) is the only way to prevent pregnancy or contraction of STDs. Supporters of abstinence-only sex-ed believe that giving kids info on birth control encourages them to have sex.

In 1996, Congress showed its support by putting aside $50 million for schools that agreed to teach abstinence-only. Of course, teaching teens to say no to sex is an incredibly valuable message--nobody disagrees. The problem is that message is not getting through. In spring 2002, the Bush administration stated that there's still no evidence abstinence-only sex-ed works. So, the debate continues...

PREGNANT 15-YEAR-OLDS?

Meet five girls who not only had pregnant girls in their classes, but crying babies, too. Lauriel Patterson, Ari Humphries, Zakiya Jones, Monique Jackson, and Cherry Wooten, were all juniors and seniors at Cesar Chavez Charter High School for Public Policy, located just outside Washington, D.C.

In keeping with the high school's name, select students are required to complete a semester-long project with an organization that supports public policy. These girls elected to work with Choice USA, which promotes the importance of sex ed. And because of what they saw in their school--teens with babies--the girls stretched their semester-long project into a year-and-a-half dedication to bringing comprehensive sex-ed to their school.

When advocates from Choice USA sat down to work with the girls, they were shocked to discover many of the students didn't even know the basics. Because Chavez is an independent public school, it didn't have to offer any sex ed. After realizing their school's need for sex education, Lauriel, Ari, Zakiya, Monique and Cherry set out to help educate their peers. We got with the girls for a gab sesh. Here's their story....

Ari: There was a big problem with teen pregnancy at Chavez. Girls were bringing their kids to school, and they were all whining and fussing in class. How were we supposed to learn with crying babies in the classroom?

Monique: Before we could challenge school policy, we all needed to brush up on sex ed 101. At first, I was a little reluctant to talk about this stuff. But my friends were open and willing to talk, so I became open.

Lauriel: Then, we came up with how to go about letting the school know we needed to have sex ed.

Zakiya: First, we put together a survey to see what students knew, what they didn't know and what they wanted to know. Even though some students were pregnant, the principal didn't think the kids were having sex and didn't think sex ed was necessary. But we were able to have a booth with a signup sheet for students who were interested.

Cherry: Our signup sheet convinced the administration this program was needed, so the school agreed to host a seminar one morning in late spring. Twenty-five students showed up at 7:30 a.m. on a Saturday. We'd arranged for all sorts of speakers and discussion leaders to come teach and, more importantly, get kids talking. Attendance was split down the middle--the guys were just as eager for information as the girls.

Laureil: Even our reluctant principal made a surprise visit to the seminar. The program was a success!

Ari: I realized how much more information the students really needed. They were coming up and were like, "Wow, y'all put together a good presentation. You all did so good." Like at the very beginning of that day, when they all came into the classroom, you could tell they were a little nervous. But the speakers were very open. They told [the students] nothing [they could ask] would gross them out. Everyone really enjoyed being able to talk that way about these issues. And when we saw how many kids showed up that early in the morning, we were like, "Oh, my!"

Due to the success of the seminar, Cesar Chavez began to offer human sexuality as an elective class every Thursday afternoon. It's now the most popular elective.

Lauriel: It's great to see the younger kids or even kids my age asking questions. It's great to see the expressions on their faces and their openness, especially with the ninth-graders. They are choosing to take the class on their own. I am so glad to be a part of that.

For information on how you can get involved or make a difference at your school, log on to www.choiceusa.org.

RELATED ARTICLE: WHY SEX ED IS IMPORTANT!

No doubt waiting until you are married to have sex is a great idea. But the reality is that many teens choose not to wait. And when abstinence only is taught, girls don't get the information they need to stay healthy and pregnancy-free. Here are three great reasons to encourage comprehensive sex ed in your school:

YOUR HEALTH. Every year roughly 4 million new cases of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs among teenagers are reported While abstinence is the only way to absolutely, prevent STDs knowing bow to protect yourself is the best weapon in the fight to staying healthy. Currently one in four sex ed teachers are prohibited from teaching students how to avoids STDs and pregnancy. FYI A sexually active teenader who doesn't use contraception has a 90-percent chance of becoming pregnant within a year of first having sex.

YOUR EDUCATION. Most girls who become pregnant don't stay it school. Less than 1 percent of teen mothers complete college by age 27. A review of data from three large surveys concludes that girls who have children are less likely to graduate from high school or obtain education beyond the high school level.

YOUR FURTHER EARNING POTENTIAL. Having a good education is essential to getting a job and being able to support yourself. Look at the numbers. In 2001 women 25 and older earned on average $15,900 if they went to high school but had not graduated $22,300. I they completed high school and $36,900. If they had a college degree. In short women need to be able to plan when they have children in order to get a good education--and they need a good education to ensure that they can support the children they choose to have as adults.