Thanks for standing up for comprehensive sexuality education for youth in your school and community! It’s a vital part of health education and life-skills building for all young people. And the majority of California parents and adults agree with you.

• 93% of California adults believe sexually active teens should be encouraged, through school-based sex ed, to use protection and to prevent pregnancy and STIs (Get Real about Teen Pregnancy! Findings in Brief: A Look at California’s Views on Teen Pregnancy [San Francisco: The Field Institute, 1999]).
• 84% of California adults believe young people should receive specific instruction about preventing pregnancy and STIs (ibid.).
• In 93% of California public schools, no more than 5% of families remove their children from sex ed classes, even though they have a right to do so (Sex Education in California Public Schools: Are Students Learning What They Need to Know? [San Francisco: ACLU of Northern California, 2003]).

As an educator, community leader, and advocate for youth, you can make a real difference in the health of all Bay Area youth:

• We provide low-cost, accessible, high-quality reproductive and primary health care to women, men, and teens throughout the Bay Area.  
• This site is full of accurate, up-to-date, unbiased health information written for adults and youth.
• We’re here with support and guidance when a young person needs help.
• Our educators help parents and other trusted adults develop skills to communicate effectively with youth.

• Check out our extensive lending library and resources for sale.

Advocate for comprehensive sex ed in your school.

• Learn about California’s sex ed codes and guidelines. 
• Let school administrators know you support comprehensive sex ed. Point them toward the PPGG Education Department and this website as a source of information about California state requirements and our workshops. You can request workshops through this site.
• Use these talking points from the Sexuality Information Education Council of the United States (SIECUS) to stress the relevance of sex ed for all children, whether sexually active now or not.
• If youth are not receiving adequate HIV/AIDS prevention education at your public middle or high school, let school officials know that it’s mandated. For more information, read the California Department of Education’s explanation of HIV/AIDS–mandated education.
• “Abstinence-only” sex ed is not legal in California public schools. If you are concerned about this happening in your school or school district, share this information and data from SIECUS with school officials.
• Is your school making it difficult for students to get comprehensive sex ed or HIV/AIDS ed? California requires parental notification for both types of instruction. Passive consent, or an opt-out policy, is mandatory for HIV/AIDS education, and a school may not adopt an active consent policy. For comprehensive sex ed, a school may adopt an active or passive consent policy. See CDE’s explanation for more details.

To advocate effectively for comprehensive sex ed, check out the Community Action Kit from SIECUS. Thank you for your efforts on behalf of all youth!

Find more Planned Parenthood tools for Educators here.