Currently, Pennsylvania schools are NOT required to teach sexual education.

To their credit, they are required to teach about STDs and HIV, but under legislation titled 'Public School Code of 1949' the only mandate is that students in high school are taught this. Middle and primary schools are able to opt out. This is not enough.

February 2011, House Bill 416 was brought to PA House in an attempt to amend this code, but it quickly died after being referred by to the House Committee on Education.

Topics like sexuality, STDs, pregnancy and contraception are not topics to mask, imply or allude to. Doing so is a disservice to the youth of Pennsylvania. 

The state currently has a document titled 'Academic Standards for Health, Safety and Physical Education' which provides guidelines for curricula but it is up to local districts to decide what to teach.

This leaves gaps in education for all students. 

Mandating comprehensive sexual education should include the topics:

-medically accurate information about sexually transmitted disease and infection including HIV/AIDS

-prevention of pregnancy

-sexual assault, harassment and bullying

-promotion of safe and healthy relationships