This petition calls for the teaching of consent as a curriculum requirement within Frisco ISD schools.

Too many students that have graduated from FISD have heard stories from their peers about their experiences with sexual assault, or have experienced it themselves. There is a lack of awareness about safe sex and consent within the FISD curriculum. There are multiple different reasons in our society that perpetuate rape and sexual violence, but one of them is our lack of adequate sex education. FISD has failed to teach teens and young people about safe sex, and most importantly, consent. Young people will have sex, despite teaching abstinence-based sex education, so the most important thing is to educate young people about consent.

Currently, the only mandated sex education program is the AIM for Success program – which is an abstinence-based assembly in sixth grade. 

These are the current guidelines for sex education instruction for the 2019-2020 school year (taken from the FISD student handbook pg. 24-25) :

-Present abstinence from sexual activity as the preferred choice of behavior in relationship to all sexual activity for unmarried persons of school age;

-Emphasize that abstinence is the only method that is 100 percent effective in preventing pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, and the emotional trauma associated with adolescent sexual activity;

-If included in the content of the curriculum, teach contraception and condom use in terms of human use reality rates instead of theoretical laboratory rates.

If you'd like to read more: https://www.friscoisd.org/docs/default-source/resources-information/frisco-isd-student-handbook.pdf

This petition is calling for Frisco ISD to REQUIRE: 

-Consent-based curriculum (age-appropriate programs on consent and healthy relationship behavior.) 

The curriculum needs to teach what clear, enthusiastic, and affirmative consent is and what it looks and sounds like. We need education that shows us that there are many ways to say no. That educates young people that silence is not consent and that “No means No”. We need curriculum that explains that consent is not valid when either person is intoxicated, and it needs to teach that sex without consent is rape. 

-A required, up-to-date, and clear presentation on consent every year for high school students. It is unacceptable that the only time students learn about sex education is in the sixth grade. Girls between 16-19 are four times more likely than the general population to be victims of rape, attempted rape, or sexual assault. 44% of sexual assaults happen before the age of 18.

-Include physical and mental health resources for survivors that outline what can be done in the case of sexual assault. This is something that has never been taught or shared with FISD students.

-End the notion that "abstinence is the only method that is 100 percent effective in preventing emotional trauma associated with adolescent sexual activity." That is untrue. Emotional trauma associated with adolescent sexual activity stems from lack of consent and unhealthy relationships.

EDUCATION IS PREVENTION.