FS: Guidelines for Comprehensive Sexuality Education

Guidelines for Comprehensive Sexuality Education Fact Sheet

WHAT ARE THE GUIDELINES?

The Guidelines for Comprehensive Sexuality Education: Grades K through 12 are a framework designed to promote and facilitate the development of comprehensive sexuality education programs nationwide. This includes curricula, textbooks, and programs as well as evaluations of existing programs.

HOW WERE THE GUIDELINES DEVELOPED?

SIECUS convened the National Guidelines Task Force in 1990 to develop guidelines as a framework for providing sexuality education.

The Task Force consisted of 20 professionals in the fields of medicine, education, sexuality, and youth services from such prestigious organizations as the American Medical Association, the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation, the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, the National Education Association, the American Social Health Association, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, and the National School Boards Association.

This Task Force developed the topics, values, life behaviors, and developmental messages that were included in the first edition of the Guidelines published in October 1991. They were updated in 1996 to reflect societal and technological changes that had occurred since 1991.

WHAT ARE THEIR PRIMARY GOALS?

The primary goal of sexuality education is the promotion of adult sexual health. It assists children in understanding a positive view of sexuality, provides them with information and skills about taking care of their sexual health, and helps them acquire skills to make decisions now and in the future. The Guidelines define the life behaviors of a sexually healthy adult. They are based on four primary goals:

Information
To provide accurate information about human sexuality, including growth and development, human reproduction, anatomy, physiology, masturbation, family life, pregnancy, childbirth, parenthood, sexual response, sexual orientation, contraception, abortion, sexual abuse, HIV/AIDS, and other sexually transmitted diseases.

Attitudes, Values, and Insights
To provide an opportunity for young people to question, explore, and assess their sexual attitudes in order to understand their family's values, develop their own values, increase self-esteem, develop insights concerning relationships with families and members of both genders, and understand their obligations and responsibilities to their families and others.

Relationships and Interpersonal Skills
To help young people develop interpersonal skills, including communication, decision-making, assertiveness, and peer refusal skills, as well as the ability to create satisfying relationships. Sexuality education programs should prepare students to understand sexuality effectively and creatively in adult roles. This would include helping young people develop the capacity for caring, supportive, non-coercive, and mutually pleasurable intimate and sexual relationships.

Responsibility
To help young people exercise responsibility regarding sexual relationships, including addressing abstinence, how to resist pressures to become prematurely involved in sexual intercourse, and encouraging the use of contraception and other sexual health measures. Sexuality education should be a central component of programs designed to reduce the prevalence of sexually-related medical problems; these include teenage pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases including HIV infection, and sexual abuse.

WHAT ARE THE KEY CONCEPTS OF THE GUIDELINES?

The Guidelines are organized into six key concepts that represent the most general knowledge about human sexuality and family living. They are human development, relationships, personal skills, sexual behavior, sexual health, and society and culture.

The Guidelines contain a total of 36 topics and 778 developmental messages for these age groups:

Level 1: Middle Childhood, ages five through eight; early elementary school.
Level 2: Preadolescence, ages nine through 12; upper elementary school.
Level 3: Early Adolescence, ages 12 through 15; middle school/junior high school.
Level 4: Adolescence, ages 15 through 18; high school.

ARE THE GUIDELINES BASED ON VALUES?

The Guidelines are based on specific values related to human sexuality and are consistent with values that reflect the beliefs of most communities in a pluralistic society. Each community will need to review these values to make certain the program is consistent with community norms and diversity. Values inherent in the Guidelines include:

Sexuality is a natural and healthy part of living.
All persons are sexual.
Sexuality includes physical, ethical, social, spiritual, psychological, and emotional dimensions.
Every person has dignity and self-worth.
Young people should view themselves as unique and worthwhile individuals within the context of their cultural heritage.
Individuals express their sexuality in varied ways.
Parents should be the primary sexuality educators of their children.
Families provide their children's first education about sexuality.
Families share their values about sexuality with their children.
In a pluralistic society, people should respect and accept the diversity of values and beliefs about sexuality that exist in a community.
Sexual relationships should never be coercive or exploitative.
All children should be loved and cared for.
All sexual decisions have effects or consequences.
All persons have the right and the obligation to make responsible sexual choices.
Individuals, families, and society benefit when children are able to discuss sexuality with their parents and/or other trusted adults.
Young people develop their values about sexuality as part of becoming adults.
Young people explore their sexuality as a natural process of achieving sexual maturity.
Premature involvement in sexual behaviors poses risks.
Abstaining from sexual intercourse is the most effective method of preventing pregnancy and STD/HIV.
Young people who are involved in sexual relationships need access to information about health-care services.

HOW ARE THEY USED?

SIECUS has distributed more than 100,000 copies of the Guidelines to individuals and groups across the nation. Many people, community-based organizations, and educational systems have used the Guidelines

to develop new, and evaluate existing, programs;
for discussion with school policy makers;
for teacher/staff training;
to develop new guidelines and evaluate existing ones;
for peer education training;
for classroom teaching at the college level;
for parent education;
for special education;.
for community education, and
for research.

ARE THEY IN OTHER LANGUAGES?

SIECUS has developed the Spanish-language Guidelines specifically for Hispanic/Latino communities in the United States. In addition, it provides technical assistance to nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and government agencies worldwide that want to develop their own Guidelines. Adaptations are currently available in Brazil, Nigeria, Russia, Iceland, The Netherlands, and the Czech Republic.

WHAT COMPANION PIECES ARE AVAILABLE?

SIECUS has produced a video--Sexuality Education for the 21st Century--to people better understand the concept of comprehensive sexuality education. In addition, the SIECUS Community Action Kit includes information on building support for comprehensive sexuality education.

WHO HAS ENDORSED THE GUIDELINES

These national youth-serving organizations have endorsed the Guidelines:

Advocates for Youth
American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors and Therapists
The Association of Reproductive Health Professionals
Coalition on Sexuality and Disability
Girls Incorporated
Midwest School of Social Work Council
National Asian Women's Health Organization
National Coalition of Advocates for Students
National Council of the Churches of Christ
National Education Association
National Lesbian and Gay Health Foundation
National Network for Youth (formerly National Network of Youth Services)
Planned Parenthood Federation of America
Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States
Society for Behavioral Pediatrics

Read the Guidelines in their entirety.

ORDER INFORMATION

Guidelines materials are available by sending a check or money order to SIECUS Publications Department, 130 West 42nd St, Suite 350, New York, NY 10036-7802. They include the English or Spanish Guidelines $8.00 each; the video, $10.00; and the Community Action Kit $20.00.

References

P. Donovan, Risk and Responsibility: Teaching Sex Education in America's Schools Today, (New York: The Alan Guttmacher Institute, 1989), p. 5-6.
NARAL, Who Decides?: A State-by-State Review of Abortion and Reproductive Rights, Sixth Edition, 1997.
P. Donovan, Risk and Responsibility (New York: The Alan Guttmacher Institute, 1989), pp. 5-6.