It is not acceptable that some Ohio University students come to Athens without a proper understanding of what sex actually is and how to practice having safe sex.
One thing is clear from today’s Post article highlighting the differences in college freshmen’s experience with sexual education: The topic deserves to be taught in a more accurate and realistic way across the country.
Other topics taught in high school — such as math, science and literature — are universal. Education policymakers ought to regulate sexual education in the same way.
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Some college students were taught that abstinence is key in their high school years, which isn’t entirely applicable to consenting adults in college. It also means that those students weren’t always learning about safe sex procedures.
High school students need to be taught about sex and what safety precautions should be taken if they are sexually active.
It is not fair that some students come to college with a full knowledge of sexually transmitted diseases and others don’t know much, if anything, about how to prevent them.
Additionally, it shouldn’t only be topics surrounding safe sex and STI prevention taking place in the classroom. Dating violence, sexual harassment and assault prevention are covered in Ohio classrooms, and the rest of the nation should take note.
Not talking about sex in schools keeps the door closed for those students that might want to ask questions about maintaining a healthy sex life. If high school students have a question about sex or their body, which is completely normal for someone their age, they might not feel comfortable asking a teacher or school administrator if they’ve never been offered an open dialogue. That translates to a dangerous lack of knowledge once students hit a college campus for the first time.
For print:
Editorials represent the majority opinion of The Post’s executive editors and are independent of the publication’s news coverage.
For web:
Editorials represent the majority opinion of The Post's executive editors: Editor-in-Chief Emma Ockerman, Managing Editor Rebekah Barnes, Opinion Editor Will Gibbs and Digital Managing Editor Samuel Howard. Post editorials are independent of the publication's news coverage.
