Gwinnett board hears sex ed criticism

Abstinence program doesn’t include crucial information, some say.

Talking about sex in Georgia’s public schools is no easy chore, many metro Atlanta school districts have learned.

Gwinnett County is the latest school district facing scrutiny about some of what’s taught in its sex ed classes.

About two dozen parents, students and former students came to last week’s school board meeting, with some saying during the public comments portion that one organization has used crude exercises and outdated beliefs to encourage abstinence. The group at the center of the criticism, the Pregnancy Resource Center of Gwinnett, did not respond to the specific complaints, but defended its work at the meeting.

The dispute underscores the difficulty elected officials and educators have resolving conflicts between those with divergent cultural and religious ideologies in increasingly diverse communities like Gwinnett as schools grapple with sex-related topics they didn’t encounter a decade ago, such as restroom accommodations for transgender students.

On one side, some argue sex education should focus squarely on abstinence. On the other side, the argument is students need to be exposed to as much information as possible.

Some suggest the latest criticism is a plot by Planned Parenthood supporters to get likeminded organizations teaching sex ed in Georgia and are taking the fight to social media.

Opinions vary on the effectiveness of sex ed in Georgia. Federal data suggest some trouble spots in the Peach State.

Georgia ranks among the top 10 states in several sexually-transmitted diseases among 15- to 24-yearolds. Its youth HIV rate is twice the national average. The most recent data show Georgia has the 18th highest teen birth rate. Georgia, though, had the highest rate in 1995, when the state decided to focus on abstinence-based sex education.

One positive note for Georgia is federal statistics show a decline over the last decade in the percentage of ninth- and tenth-graders having sex.

Gwinnett is one of several area school districts that use an abstinence-centered curriculum called “Choosing the Best.” Gwinnett has used the curriculum since 2001 and a committee reviews it throughout the year,

ERIC STIRGUS / AJC Audience members at the June 15 Gwinnett school board meeting applaud a speaker who raised concerns about sex education taught by the Pregnancy Resource Center of Gwinnett .