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CONNECTICUT
Connecticut received $1,251,800 in federal funds for
abstinence-only-until-marriage programs in Fiscal Year 2006.
Connecticut Sexuality Education Law and Policy
Connecticut does not require schools to teach sexuality education, but does require that schools teach human growth and development and disease prevention. Connecticut law also requires that “each local and regional board of education shall offer during the regular school day planned, ongoing and systematic instruction on acquired immune deficiency syndrome, as taught by legally qualified teachers.”
The Connecticut State Board of Education is charged with developing sexuality education curriculum guidelines that “shall include, but not be limited to, information on developing a curriculum including family planning, human sexuality, parenting, nutrition and the emotional, physical, psychological, hygienic, economic and social aspects of family life, provided the curriculum guides shall not include information pertaining to abortion as an alternative to family planning.” However, Connecticut statute also states that the instruction must be left to the discretion of the local or regional board of education.
Parents or guardians may remove their children from sexuality education and/or STD/HIV education classes with written notification. This is referred to as an “opt-out” policy.
See Connecticut Statutes Chapter 194 Sections 10-16b-f, and 10-19a-b.
Recent Legislation
SIECUS is not aware of any proposed legislation regarding sexuality education in Connecticut.
Events of Note
Homosexual Discrimination at High School Raises Concern
June 2006; Bridgeport, CT
Students, teachers, and administrators at Central High School in Bridgeport are asking for more acceptance of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning (LGBTQ) community after a student was victim of a violent hate crime based on his sexual orientation.
The incident in which an openly gay student was beaten was the tipping point for many students who say they were aware of several other gay-bashing incidents. As a result, the school’s Gay-Straight Alliance is working even harder to create a safe school environment for LGBTQ students. The school district is also working to end the problem, suggesting sensitivity training for students as one possible approach.2
Sexuality Education Curriculum Changed After Parents Complain
November 2004; Bristol, CT
The Bristol Board of Education made several revisions to the health education curriculum after inviting comments from parents. The school district decided to allow area parents to review the middle school health curriculum after receiving complaints from a group of concerned parents. In Spring 2004, a group of parents attended several school board meetings to argue against portions of the middle school’s curriculum that discussed abortion. They requested that parents be included in the curriculum revision process, which was taking place for the first time in eight years. Some of the parents consulted with an attorney and argued that lessons about abortion taught in the “life skills” courses were in violation of state law.
At the time, the school replied by explaining that the course in question was not a requirement and that parents could choose to remove their child from the course. The school then notified parents again of the lessons being taught and reminded them of their right to remove their child.
In October 2004, however, the school district decided to allow parents to review the curriculum at each of the three middle schools. The district then revised the curriculum accordingly. According to the Director of the Office of Teaching and Learning, “Thirty-one written comments were received…. Revisions were made.”3
Although the initial complaints revolved around teaching abortion, one change to the curriculum involved videos that provided information on contraception. Parents complained that the information on contraception sent a mixed message. One parent exclaimed, “How are we going to teach abstinence when we show videos showing other options? The students who viewed these videos said they were all about birth control and not about peer pressure.”4 In response, the board of education voted to end the use of the videos.
Parents will be notified about all of the changes to the curriculum and materials by mail.
Connecticut’s Youth: Statistical Information of Note5
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In 2005, 45% of female high school students and 47% of male high school students in Connecticut reported ever having had sexual intercourse compared to 46% of female high school students and 48% of male high school students nationwide.
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In 2005, 2% of female high school students and 9% of male high school students in Connecticut reported having had sexual intercourse before age 13 compared to 4% of female high school students and 9% of male high school students nationwide.
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In 2005, 12% of female high school students and 17% of male high school students in Connecticut reported having had four or more lifetime sexual partners compared to 12% of female high school students and 17% of male high school students nationwide.
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In 2005, 91% of high school students in Connecticut reported having been taught about AIDS/HIV in school compared to 88% of high school students nationwide.
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In 2000, Connecticut’s abortion rate was 30 per 1,000 women ages 15–19 compared to a teen abortion rate of 24 per 1,000 nationwide.6
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In 2004, Connecticut’s birth rate was 24 per 1,000 women ages 15–19 compared to a teen birth rate of 41 per 1,000 nationwide.7
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In 2003, teens ages 15–19 accounted for 34% of 41,882 cases of Chlamydia reported in Connecticut.8
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In 2003, teens ages 15–19 accounted for 24% of 15,093 cases of gonorrhea reported in Connecticut.9
Title V Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Funding
Connecticut would have been eligible for $344,944 in federal Title V funds in Fiscal Year 2006. However, the state did not apply for these funds. Therefore, the state did not match funds nor were there any new programs supported during Fiscal Year 2006.
However, the state did use remaining funds from Fiscal Year 2005 to continue supporting two of its previous Title V sub-grantees, the Greater Bridgeport Adolescent Pregnancy Program and the University of Connecticut Health Center which is conducting an evaluation of Connecticut’s Title V programs.
Community-Based Abstinence Education (CBAE) and Adolescent Family Life Act (AFLA) Grantees
There are two CBAE grantees in Connecticut: Network Connecticut (Catholic Charities and Family Services) and Opportunities Industrialization Center of New Britain. There are no AFLA grantees in Connecticut.
Network Connecticut (Catholic Charities and Family Services) coordinates a CBAE grant that is used in the dioceses of Bridgeport, Hartford, and Norwich. This program targets young people ages 12–18 and uses the following curricula: The Choice Game, Sex Can Wait, and Abstinence: Pick and Choose Activities. SIECUS has reviewed Sex Can Wait and Abstinence: Pick and Choose Activities and found that they do not include the messages of fear and shame that are common to many abstinence-only-until-marriage curricula.
Federal and State Funding for Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Programs in FY 2006
Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Grantee
Length of Grant
|
Amount of Grant |
Type of Grant (includes Title V, CBAE, AFLA, and other funds) |
Connecticut Department of Public Health
www.dph.state.ct.us |
$145,269 federal (carried over from Fiscal Year 2005) |
Title V |
Greater Bridgeport Adolescent Pregnancy Program
www.gbapp.org |
$66,428 (carried over from Fiscal Year 2005) |
Title V sub-grantee |
University of Connecticut Health Center
www.uchc.edu |
$78,741(carried over from Fiscal Year 2005) |
Title V sub-grantee |
Network Connecticut (Catholic Charities and Family Services)
2003–2006 |
$652,000 |
CBAE |
Opportunities Industrialization Center of New Britain
2006–2011 |
$599,800 |
CBAE |
Title V Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Coordinator
Cheryl Poulter
Maternal and Child Health Unit
Connecticut Department of Health
410 Capitol Ave., MS #11 MAT
PO Box 340308
Hartford, CT 06106
Phone: (860) 509-8057 |
Connecticut Organizations that Support Comprehensive Sexuality Education
ACLU of Connecticut
32 Grand St.
Hartford, CT 06106
Phone: (860) 247-9823
www.cclu.org
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GLSEN Connecticut
P.O. Box 2405
Stamford, CT 06906
Phone: (203) 288-2399 |
NARAL Pro-Choice Connecticut
135 Broad St.
Hartford, CT 06105
Phone: (860) 524-1086
www.pro-choicect.org |
Planned Parenthood of Connecticut
345 Whitney Ave.
New Haven, CT 06511
Phone: (203) 865-5158
www.ppct.org |
Connecticut Organizations that Oppose Comprehensive Sexuality Education
Connecticut Right to Life Corporation
PO Box 2343
Waterbury, CT 06722
Phone: (203) 757-5213
www.ctrtl.com |
Family Institute of Connecticut
77 Buckingham St.
Hartford, CT 06126
Phone: (860) 548-0066
www.ctfamily.org |
Newspapers in Connecticut
Connecticut Post
Linda Levinson
News Editor
410 State St.
Bridgeport, CT 06604
Phone: (203) 330-6533
|
Connecticut Post
Linda Pinto
State News Editor
410 State St.
Bridgeport, CT 06604
Phone: (203) 330-6496 |
The Day
Carol McCarthy
Community News Editor
47 Eugene O’Neill Dr.
New London, CT 06320
Phone: (860) 442-2200, ext. 4352
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The Hartford Courant
Robert Frahm
Education Writer
285 Broad St.
Hartford, CT 06115
Phone: (860) 241-6535 |
The Hartford Courant
Nancy Schoeffler
Health & Medicine Editor
285 Broad St.
Hartford, CT 06115
Phone: (860) 241-6462
|
Journal Inquirer
Don Michak
Medical/Health Reporter
306 Progress Dr.
Manchester, CT 06040
Phone: (860) 646-0500 |
New Haven Register
Abram Katz
Health & Science Editor
40 Sargent Dr.
New Haven, CT 06511
Phone: (203) 789-5719
|
The News-Times
Dirk Perrefont
Political News Reporter
333 Main St.
Danbury, CT 06810
Phone: (203) 731-3358 |
The Norwalk Advocate
Karen Tensa
News Desk
75 Tresser Blvd.
Stamford, CT 06901
Phone: (203) 299-5522
|
Norwich Bulletin
Adam Bolt
Editor
66 Franklin St.
Norwich, CT 06360
Phone: (860) 425-4230 |
Record-Journal
Eric Cotton
City Editor
11 Crown St.
Meriden, CT 06450
Phone: (203) 317-2344 |
Waterbury Republican-American
Tom Ferriter
City Editor
389 Meadow St.
Waterbury, CT 06702
Phone: (203) 574-3636ext. 1436 |
References
- This refers to the fiscal year for the federal government which begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, Fiscal Year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
- Susan Silvers, “Students Form Groups to End Gay Bashing,” Connecticut Post, 4 June 2006, accessed 5 June 2006, <http://www.connpost.com/news/ci_3898526>.
- Katherine Marcotte, “Sex Ed Classes’ Videos Removed,” Bristol Press, 4 November 2004, accessed 7 January 2004, <http://www.ctcentral.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=13291729&
BRD=1643&PAG=461&dept_id=10486&rfi=8>.
- Ibid.
- Unless otherwise cited, all statistical information comes from Danice K. Eaton, et al., “Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance—United States, 2005,” Surveillance Summaries, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, vol. 55, no. SS-5 (9 June 2006): 1-108, accessed 26 January 2007, <http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/yrbs/index.htm>.
- U.S. Teenage Pregnancy Statistics: Overall Trends, Trends by Race and Ethnicity and State-by-State Information (New York: The Guttmacher Institute, February 2004), accessed 26 January 2007, <http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/2006/09/12/USTPstats.pdf>.
- National Vital Statistics Reports 55.01 (Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics, 2006), 10, accessed 26 January 2006, <http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr55/nvsr55_01.pdf>.
- “Chlamydia Cases by Age at Diagnosis, Connecticut 1999–2003,” Connecticut STD Control Program (2004), accessed 26 January 2007, <http://www.dph.state.ct.us/BCH/infectiousdise/STD_2003/std_chal_table10.htm>.
- “Gonorrhea Cases by Age at Diagnosis, Connecticut 1999–2003,” Connecticut STD Control Program (2004), accessed 26 January 2007, <http://www.dph.state.ct.us/BCH/infectiousdise/STD_2003/std_gc_table10.htm>.
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