Oklahoma State Profile Fiscal Year 2009

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Oklahoma

Sexuality Education Law and Policy | Recent Legislation | Youth Statistical Information of Note | Sexual Health Statistics | Comprehensive Approaches to Sex Education| Federal Funding of Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Programs | Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Curricula Used by Grantees | Federal Funding for Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Programs in FY 09 | Adolescent Health Contact | Organizations that Support Comprehensive Sexuality Education | Organizations that Oppose Comprehensive Sexuality Education | Local Newspapers | Political Blogs | References

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Oklahoma Sexuality Education Law and Policy

Oklahoma does not require schools to teach sexuality education. However, schools are required to provide HIV/AIDS-prevention education. This education must be limited to the “discussion of the disease AIDS and its spread and prevention.”[1] The class must be taught once during either grade five or six, once during grades seven through nine, and once during grades ten through 12.[2] All curricula and materials must be checked for medical accuracy by the Oklahoma Department of Health and must only include “factual medical information for AIDS prevention.”[3]

HIV/AIDS education must specifically teach that:

engaging in homosexual activity, promiscuous sexual activity, intravenous drug use or contact with contaminated blood products is now known to be primarily responsible for contact with the AIDS virus;
avoiding the activities specified above is the only method of preventing the spread of the virus;artificial means of birth control are not a certain means of preventing the spread of the AIDS virus and reliance on such methods puts a person at risk for exposure to the disease; and
sexual intercourse, with or without condoms, with any person testing positive for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) antibodies, or any other person infected with HIV, places that individual in a high risk category for developing AIDS.[4]

If a school district does choose to teach sexuality education, all curricula and materials must be approved for medical accuracy by the state and by the district superintendent.[5] All materials must also be available to parents for review.[6] In addition, all sexuality education classes must have as one of their primary purposes “the teaching of or informing students about the practice of abstinence.”[7]

A school district must provide written notification of all sexuality and HIV/AIDS -prevention classes. Parents or guardians can submit written notification if they do not want their children to participate in such classes.[8] This is referred to as an “opt-out” policy.

See Oklahoma Statutes 70-11-103.3, 70-11-105.1

Recent Legislation

Legislation Mandating Medically Accurate Sex Education

House Bill 1348, introduced in February 2009, and its companion measure, Senate Bill 1381, which was introduced in February 2010, would have amended current statutes to clarify that all sex education curricula must be based on medically accurate and factual information. Both bills defined medical accuracy and specified that no such program could withhold information necessary to make informed decisions about personal health. HB 1348 was referred to the House Committee on Common Education and SB1318 was referred to the Senate Committee on Health and Human Resources; both bills died due to inaction.

Oklahoma’s Youth: Statistical Information of Note[9]

In 2009, 51% of female high school students and 51% of male high school students in Oklahoma reported ever having had sexual intercourse compared to 46% of female high school students and 46% of male high school students nationwide.

In 2009, 3% of female high school students and 6% of male high school students in Oklahoma reported having had sexual intercourse before age 13 compared to 3% of female high school students and 8% of male high school students nationwide.

In 2009, 15% of female high school students and 20% of male high school students in Oklahoma reported having had four or more lifetime sexual partners compared to 11% of female high school students and 16% of male high school students nationwide.

In 2009, 40% of female high school students and 40% of male high school students in Oklahoma reported being currently sexually active (defined as having had sexual intercourse in the three months prior to the survey) compared to 36% of female high school students and 33% of male high school students nationwide.

In 2009, among those high school students who reported being currently sexually active, 50% of females and 64% of males in Oklahoma reported having used condoms the last time they had sexual intercourse compared to 54% of females and 69% of males nationwide.

In 2009, among those high school students who reported being currently sexually active, 22% of females and 23% of males in Oklahoma reported having used birth control pills the last time they had sexual intercourse compared to 23% of females and 16% of males nationwide.

In 2009, among those high school students who reported being currently sexually active, 20% of females and 20% of males in Oklahoma reported having used alcohol or drugs the last time they had sexual intercourse compared to 17% of females and 26% of males nationwide.

In 2009, 82% of high school students in Oklahoma reported having been taught about AIDS/HIV in school compared to 87% of high school students nationwide.

Oklahoma Youth Sexual Health Statistics

Teen Pregnancy, Birth, and Abortion

Oklahoma’s teen pregnancy rate ranks 14^th in the U.S., with a rate of 76 pregnancies per 1,000 young women ages 15–19 compared to the national rate of 70 pregnancies per 1,000.[10] There were a total of 9,370 pregnancies among young women ages 15–19 reported in 2005, the most recent year for which data are available, in Oklahoma.[11]

Oklahoma’s teen birth rate ranked 8^th in the U.S. in 2005, with a rate of 54.2 births per 1,000 young women ages 15–19 compared to the national rate of 40.5 births per 1,000.[12] In 2005, there were a total of 6,685 live births reported to young women ages 15–19 in Oklahoma.[13]

In 2006, the U.S. teen birth rate increased for the first time in 15 years by 3% from 40.5 to 41.9 births per 1,000 young women ages 15–19, after having steadily declined between 1991 and 2005.[14] In contrast, Oklahoma’s teen birth rate increased 10% between 2005 and 2006, from 54.2 to 59.6 births per 1,000 young women ages 15–19.[15]

Oklahoma’s teen abortion rate ranks 31^stin the U.S., with a rate of 10 abortions per 1,000 young women ages 15–19 compared to the national rate of 19 abortions per 1,000. In 2005, there were a total of 1,109 abortions reported among young women ages 15–19 in Oklahoma.[16]

HIV and AIDS

Oklahoma ranks 31^st in cases of HIV infection diagnosed in the U.S. among all age groups. In 2007, there were a total of 172 new cases of HIV infection diagnosed in Oklahoma. [17]

Oklahoma ranks 25^th in cases of HIV/AIDS diagnosed among young people ages 13–19 out of the 34 states with confidential, name-based HIV infection reporting. In 2007, there were a total of 7 young people ages 13–19 diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in Oklahoma.[18]

Oklahoma’s AIDS rate ranks 24^th in the U.S., with a rate of 7.3 cases per 100,000 population compared to the national rate of 12.5 cases per 100,000.[19]

Oklahoma ranks 29^th in number of reported AIDS cases in the U.S. among all age groups. In 2007, there were a total of 264 new AIDS cases reported in Oklahoma.[20]

Oklahoma ranks 35^th in number of reported AIDS cases in the U.S. among young people ages 13–19. In 2007, there was a total of 1 AIDS case reported among young people ages 13–19 in Oklahoma.[21]

Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Oklahoma ranks 18^th in reported cases of Chlamydia among young people ages 15–19 in the U.S., with an infection rate of 21.04 cases per 1,000 compared to the national rate of 19.51 cases per 1,000. In 2008, there were a total of 5,343 cases of Chlamydia reported among young people ages 15–19 in Oklahoma.[22]

Oklahoma ranks 13^th in reported cases of gonorrhea among young people ages 15–19 in the U.S., with an infection rate of 5.95 cases per 1,000 compared to the national rate of 4.52 cases per 1,000. In 2008, there were a total of 1,510 cases of gonorrhea reported among young people ages 15–19 in Oklahoma.[23]

Oklahoma ranks 23^rd in reported cases of primary and secondary syphilis among young people ages 15–19 in the U.S., with an infection rate of 0.02 cases per 1,000 compared to the national rate of 0.04 cases per 1,000. In 2008, there were a total of 4 cases of syphilis reported among young people ages 15–19 in Oklahoma.[24]

Comprehensive Approaches to Sex Education

SIECUS is not aware of any examples of model programs, policies, or best practices being implemented in Oklahoma public schools that provide a more comprehensive approach to sex education for young people.

We encourage you to submit any updated or additional information on comprehensive approaches to sex education being implemented in Oklahoma public schools for inclusion in future publications of the SIECUS State Profiles. Please visit SIECUS’ “Contact Us” webpage at www.siecus.orgto share information. Select “state policy” as the subject heading.

Federal Funding for Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Programs

The Department of Health and community-based organizations in Oklahoma received $1,117,533 in federal funds for abstinence-only-until-marriage programs in Fiscal Year 2009.[25]

Title V Abstinence-Only-Until Marriage Funding

Oklahoma received $518,006 in federal Title V abstinence-only-until-marriage funding in Fiscal Year 2009. Due to the expiration of the grant program on June 30, 2009, three months prior to the end of the federal fiscal year, the state received three quarters of the total funding allocated for the full fiscal year.
The Oklahoma State Department of Health distributes federal Title V abstinence-only-until-marriage funds to 20 sub-grantees, including 17 school districts, one community-based organization, one faith-based organization, and one local health department.
The Department of Health also uses a portion of the federal funds to support a public awareness campaign and television advertisements.
The Title V abstinence-only-until marriage grant required states to provide three state-raised dollars or the equivalent in services for every four federal dollars received. The state match could have been provided in part or in full by local groups.
In Oklahoma, sub-grantees contributed to the match through in-kind services.

Community-Based Abstinence Education (CBAE) Funding

There is one CBAE grantee in Oklahoma, the Pregnancy Resource Center of Southern Oklahoma, which received $599,527 in CBAE funding for Fiscal Year 2009.

Adolescent Family Life Act (AFLA) Funding

There are no AFLA grantees in Oklahoma.

Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Curricula Used by Grantees

Some abstinence-only-until-marriage grantees in Oklahoma use commercially available curricula. These include, but are not limited to: bb:

Choosing the Best
WAIT Training

To read reviews of abstinence-only-until-marriage curricula commonly used by federal grantees please visit the “Curricula and Speaker Reviews” webpage of SIECUS’ Community Action Kit at www.communityactionkit.org.

Federal Funding for Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Programs in FY 2009[26]

Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Grantee	Title V	CBAE (Length of Grant)	AFLA (Length of Grant)
Oklahoma State Department of Health www.ok.gov/health	$518,006 (federal grant)
Byng Public Schools www.byngschools.com	$1,000 (sub-grant)
Caney Public Schools www.caneyisd.org	$1,000 (sub-grant)
Canute Public Schools www.canute.k12.ok.us	$1,000 (sub-grant)
Crescent Public Schools www.crescent.k12.ok.us	$1,000 (sub-grant)
Darlington Public Schools www.darlingtonps.com	$1,000 (sub-grant)
Delaware County Health Department	$60,000 (sub-grant)
Geary Public Schools www.gearyschools.org	$1,000 (sub-grant)
Latta Schools www.latta.k12.ok.us	$1,000 (sub-grant)
Haworth Public Schools www.haworth.k12.ok.us	$1,000 (sub-grant)
Moss Public Schools www.mossps.k12.ok.us	$1,000 (sub-grant)
Oklahoma Broadcasting Association www.oabok.org	$25,000 (sub-grant)
Oklahoma Family Policy Council www.okfamilypc.org	$125,000 (sub-grant)
Pregnancy Resource Center of Southern Oklahoma www.pregnancycenterardmore.org		$599,527 (2007–2012)
Pleasant Grove Public Schools	$1,000 (sub-grant)
Ponca City Public Schools www.poncacity.k12.ok.us	$1,000 (sub-grant)
Preston Public Schools www.preston.k12.ok.us	$1,000 (sub-grant)
Sasakwa Public Schools www.sasakwaschools.org	$1,000 (sub-grant)
Savanna Public Schools www.savanna.k12.ok.us	$1,000 (sub-grant)
Tipton Public Schools www.tiptonps.k12.ok.us	$1,000 (sub-grant)
Wright City Public Schools www.wcisd.org	$1,000 (sub-grant)
Wynona Public Schools www.wynona.k12.ok.us	$1,000 (sub-grant)

Adolescent Health Contact[27]

Teresa Ryan

Adolescent Health Coordinator

Oklahoma State Department of Health

1000 N.E. Tenth Street

Oklahoma City, OK 73117

Phone: (405) 271-4477

Oklahoma Organizations that Support Comprehensive Sexuality Education

NARAL Pro-Choice Oklahoma P.O. Box 702503 Tulsa, OK 74170 Phone: (918) 663-4278 www.prochoiceoklahoma.blogspot.com	Oklahoma AIDS Care Fund 6608 North Western, #219 Oklahoma City, OK 73116 Phone: (405) 348-6600 www.okaidscarefund.com
Oklahomans for Equality 621 East 4^th Street Tulsa OK Phone: (918) 743-4297 www.okeq.org	Oklahoma Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice P.O. Box 35194 Tulsa, OK 74153 Phone: (918) 481-6444 www.wix.com/okrcrc/OKRCRC
Planned Parenthood of Arkansas and Eastern Oklahoma 5780 South Peoria Tulsa, OK 74105 Phone: (918) 587-1101 www.ppaeo.org	Planned Parenthood of Central Oklahoma 619 North West 23^rdStreet Oklahoma City, OK 73103 Phone: (405) 528-2157 www.ppcok.org

Oklahoma Organizations that Oppose Comprehensive Sexuality Education

Oklahoma Family Policy Council

3908 North Peniel Avenue

Bethany Bank Tower, Suite 100

Bethany, OK 73008

Phone: (405) 787-7744

www.okfamilypc.org

Oklahomans for Life

3105 East Skelly Drive, Suite 605

Tulsa, OK 74105

Phone: (918) 749-5022

www.okforlife.org

Newspapers in Oklahoma[28]

Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise Newsroom 4125 Nowata Road Bartlesville, OK 74006 Phone: (918) 335-8200 www.examiner-enterprise.com	The Daily Ardmoreite Newsroom 117 West Broadway Ardmore, OK 73401 Phone: (580) 223-2200 www.ardmoreite.com
Enid News and Eagle Newsroom P. O. Box 1192 Enid, OK 73702 Phone: (800) 299-6397 www.enidnews.com	The Lawton Constitution Newsroom P.O. Box 2069 Lawton, OK 73502 Phone: (580) 353-0620 www.swoknews.com
Muskogee Daily Phoenix Newsroom P.O. Box 1968 Muskogee, OK 74402 Phone: (918) 684-2828 www.muskogeephoenix.com	News-Capital & Democrat Newsroom P.O. Box 987 McAlester, OK 74502 Phone: (918) 423-1700 www.mcalesternews.com
The Norman Transcript Newsroom P.O. Drawer 1058 Norman, OK 73070 Phone: (405) 321-1800 www.normantranscript.com	The Oklahoman Newsroom P.O. Box 25125 Oklahoma City, OK 73125 Phone: (405) 475-3311 www.newsok.com
Ponca City News Newsroom 300 North Third Street Ponca City, OK 74601 Phone: (580) 765-3311 www.poncacitynews.com	Tulsa World Newsroom 315 South Boulder Avenue Tulsa, OK 74103 Phone: (918) 581-8400 www.tulsaworld.com

Political Blogs in Oklahoma

Alternative Tulsa www.alternativetulsa.blogspot.com	Blue Oklahoma www.blueoklahoma.org
Okie Funk www.okiefunk.com	Oklahoma Women’s Network www.oklahomawomen.blogspot.com

[1] Okla. Stat. § 70-11-103.3(A).

[2] Ibid.

[3] Okla. Stat. § 70-11-103.3(C).

[4] Okla. Stat. §S 70-11-103.3(D)–(E).

[5] Okla. Stat. § 70-11-103.3(B).

[6] Okla. Stat. § 70-11-103.3(C).

[7] Okla. Stat. § 70-11-105.1(B).

[8] Okla. Stat. § 70-11-105.1(B).

[9] Danice K. Eaton, et. al., “Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance—United States, 2009,” Surveillance Summaries, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, vol. 59, no. SS-5 (4 June 2010): 98–109, accessed 4 June 2010, <http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/pdf/ss/ss5905.pdf>.

[10] U.S. Teenage Pregnancies, Births, and Abortions: National and State Trends and Trends by Race and Ethnicity, (Washington, DC: Guttmacher Institute, January 2010), accessed 5 March 2010, <http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/USTPtrends.pdf>, Table 3.1.

[11] Ibid., Table 3.2.

[12] Joyce A. Martin, et. al, “Births: Final Data for 2006,” National Vital Statistics Reports, vol. 57, number 7 (Hyattsville, MD: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 7 January 2009), accessed 5 March 2010, <http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr57/nvsr57_07.pdf>, Table B.

[13] U.S. Teenage Pregnancies, Births, and Abortions: National and State Trends and Trends by Race and Ethnicity, Table 3.2.

[14] Martin, et. al, “Births: Final Data for 2006,” 4..

[15] Ibid., Table B.

[16] U.S. Teenage Pregnancies, Births, and Abortions: National and State Trends and Trends by Race and Ethnicity, Table 3.5.

[17] “Cases of HIV Infection and AIDS in the United States and Dependent Areas, 2007,” HIV/AIDS Surveillance Report, vol. 19, (Atlanta, GA:Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, February 2009), accessed 5 March 2010, <http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/surveillance/resources/reports/2007report/pdf/2007SurveillanceReport.pdf> , Table 18.

[18] Slide 6: “Estimated Numbers of HIV/AIDS Cases among Adolescents 13 to 19 Years of Age, 2007—34 States,” HIV/AIDS Surveillance in Adolescents and Young Adults (through 2007), (Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, May 2009), accessed 25 March 2010, <http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/surveillance/resources/slides/adolescents/index.htm>.

[19] Ibid.; “AIDS Case Rate per 100,000 Population, All Ages, 2007,” (Menlo Park, CA: Kaiser Family Foundation), accessed 5 March 2010, <http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comparetable.jsp?ind=513&cat=11&sub=120&yr=62&typ=1&sort=a>.

[20] Ibid., Table 16.

[21] Slide 15: “Reported AIDS Cases among Adolescents 13 to 19 Years of Age, 2007—United States and Dependent Areas,” HIV/AIDS Surveillance in Adolescents and Young Adults (through 2007), (Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, May 2009), accessed 25 March 2010, <http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/surveillance/resources/slides/adolescents/index.htm>.

[22] “Wonder Database: Selected STDs by Age, Race/Ethnicity, and Gender, 1996-2008 Results,” (Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), 30 June 2009, accessed 5 March 2010, <http://wonder.cdc.gov>; see also Table 10: “Chlamydia: Reported Cases and Rates Per 100,000 Population by Age Group and Sex: United States, 2004–2008,” Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance 2008, (Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of STD Prevention, November 2009), accessed 5 March 2010, <http://www.cdc.gov/std/stats08/surv2008-Complete.pdf>, 95.

[23] Ibid; see also Table 20: “Gonorrhea—Reported Cases and Rates per 100,000 Population by Age Group and Sex: United States, 2004–2008,” Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance 2008,106.

[24] Ibid; see also Table 33: “Primary and Secondary Syphilis—Reported Cases and Rates per 100,000 Population by Age Group and Sex: United States, 2004–2008,” Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance 2008, 121.

[25] This refers to the federal government’s fiscal year, which begins on October 1^st and ends on September 30^th. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, Fiscal Year 2009 began on October 1, 2008 and ended on September 30, 2009.

[26] Through the Fiscal Year 2010 appropriations process, Congress eliminated all discretionary funding for abstinence-only-until-marriage programs, including the entire CBAE program and the abstinence-only-until-marriage portion of AFLA. The grant years listed in the chart reflect the years for which funding was originally approved; however, the grants effectively ended in Fiscal Year 2009.

[27] SIECUS has identified this person as a state-based contact for information on adolescent health and if applicable, abstinence-only-until-marriage programs.

[28] This section is a list of major newspapers in your state with contact information for their newsrooms. This list is by no means exhaustive and does not contain the local level newspapers which are integral to getting your message out to your community. SIECUS strongly urges you to follow stories about the issues that concern you on the national, state, and local level by using an internet news alert service such as Google alerts, becoming an avid reader of your local papers, and establishing relationships with reporters who cover your issues. For more information on how to achieve your media goals visit the SIECUS Community Action Kit.

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Oklahoma State Profile Fiscal Year 2009