Sex Education Survey for Public Schools
Washington State Educators
Of the 209 districts that responded to the telephone survey the following responses are recorded in red. The questions asked are in black.
Does your district have a formalized Sex Education policy? Y/N
148 responded Yes / 52 responded No / 9 didn’t know
Does your district have a committee with parents that determine the content? Y/N
116 responded Yes/ 83 responded No / 10 didn’t know
I will name 10 topics and record what grade level you introduce these topics.
The number under the grade level is the # of schools that responded that they began teaching each topic in the specific grade level.
The number in the final column represents the schools that didn’t respond or didn’t know the answer.
The number highlighted in yellow is the mean of those schools that responded—not the mean for all schools. To get the truest picture of what schools are teaching also consider the number of schools not responding for each topic.
Topic Grade Introduced
|
1. |
HIV Education |
K |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
NO /Didn’t Know |
|
|
|
|
1 |
|
3 |
7 |
160 |
16 |
8 |
1 |
6 |
2 |
|
|
5 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2. |
Abstinence Only Education |
K |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1 |
|
1 |
62 |
16 |
37 |
6 |
17 |
|
|
|
69 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
3. |
Consequences of out of wedlock childbearing |
K |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
13 |
20 |
52 |
17 |
55 |
4 |
1 |
2 |
45 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
4. |
Child Support Enforcement |
K |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2 |
3 |
10 |
4 |
36 |
11 |
1 |
2 |
140 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
5. |
Abstinence until marriage in the AIDS program |
K |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1 |
2 |
86 |
16 |
25 |
6 |
14 |
2 |
1 |
|
56 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
6. |
Contraceptives |
K |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
7 |
16 |
44 |
18 |
54 |
7 |
|
1 |
62 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
7. |
Benefits of condoms |
K |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
8 |
13 |
44 |
15 |
49 |
7 |
|
1 |
72 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
8. |
Gender roles and sexual identity |
K |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
|
|
|
|
|
1 |
|
5 |
3 |
5 |
8 |
22 |
4 |
26 |
7 |
2 |
|
126 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
9. |
Sexual orientation |
K |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
NO /Didn’t Know |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1 |
|
6 |
6 |
10 |
2 |
23 |
8 |
3 |
|
150 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
10. |
Define LGBT |
K |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1 |
3 |
3 |
|
16 |
7 |
|
|
179 |
Based on these findings
Many schools do not comply with current legislation that requires parental involvement.
1. Most schools begin teaching HIV as directed by OSPI and the legislature by grade 5.
2. Most schools don’t teach abstinence after 9th grade.
3. Most schools wait to discuss consequence of out of wedlock childbearing until 7th grade.
4. Most schools don’t discuss the consequences of support enforcement for fathers or non custodial parents.
5. One quarter do not discuss abstinence until marriage as required in HIV legislation.
6. The mean grade for teaching contraception is 8th grade students are 13 years old which is below the age of sexual consent according to Washington State law. If the guidelines are required, more than 25% of schools will have to add contraception. This will require more supplemental pages than the fiscal note affords and is true for all the topics that follow.
7. The mean grade for promoting condoms is for 8th grade students are 13 years old which is below the age of sexual consent. 25% of schools have determined that promoting condoms is not the position that their district approves.
8 More than half of Washington school districts would be required to add gender roles and sexual identity to their curricula under the Guidelines as posted on the OSPI web site.
9. More than half of Washington school districts would be required to add sexual orientation discussions to their curricula under the Guidelines as posted on the OSPI web site.
10. Less than one quarter of schools is willing to teach LGBTQQI.
Therefore, if the choice is to teach the guidelines or teach nothing at all, most of the state’s students will receive no information on reproductive anatomy or sexual health.
Process:
The callers spoke with school superintendents, curriculum directors or sometimes were referred to the school nurse for completion of the survey. The script is attached for the 3 questions, one question had 10 parts. All school districts in the state were called, those not responding had been contacted at least 3-5 times. Calling was discontinued after a 3-week period because the compilation of data was needed for legislative hearings. The findings were tallied according to the district staff responses. The raw data is contained in the above chart. Calculating the mean was the only statistical analysis done on the data.
See Washington State Guidelines.
To view the differences between Abstinence and Comprehensive Sex Education see Simple Differences.
See Information and Comprehensive Education.
For more information see Summit Presentation.
See Network of Abstinence Educators of Spokane (NAES) Response.