The Law

Georgia is not an abstinence-only state according to the law, although there is widespread confusion regarding this, even among elected officials. Sex education in Georgia schools has been required by law since 1988. This law expects sex education and HIV/AIDS prevention to be taught in all schools, but the text of the law is general and permits any type of sex education whether comprehensive or abstinence-only. The Department of Education Rule places sex education within the comprehensive health and Physical Education (PE) curriculum. Further details are then provided in the Georgia Quality Core Curriculum Standards soon to be replaced by new Georgia Performance Standards for Health & PE (draft, September 2009). The Dept of Education Rule also requires that each Local Board of Education establish a Committee, which should include parent and student representatives, to periodically review sex/AIDS education instructional materials and make recommendations on age/grade level use. Each local Board of Education can also develop a specific policy regarding sex education and many have.

Here are the Fast Facts on Georgia Sex Education Legislation, as well as a summary and full text of these laws, rules and policies. We are also including a document with local school board policies, which also contains information on local teen pregnancy rates.

See also the National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) State School Health Policy Database

The Teacher

Fundamental to sex education in our schools is the teacher. It is often the health & PE teachers who are responsible, and many, but not all, have had specific training in sex education. In a few schools other instructors, such as the biology/science educator will teach the subject. The 2006 Georgia School Health Profile found that more than 60% of lead health teachers wanted more professional education in the field of human sexuality (we can only imagine how non-lead teachers feel). Well-trained teachers who are knowledgeable and comfortable with this subject are essential.

The Curriculum

You also need a good curriculum. However, most school districts do not, and often the only sex education materials available are the Health & PE books. In the most commonly used health books in Georgia, the sex education content has gradually disappeared during the last ten years and is now virtually non-existent. For once it is lucky to have a really old edition!

Several Georgia counties have chosen to implement federally funded abstinence-only-until-marriage programs like the Georgia based Choosing the Best. The obvious reason is the federal funding, but it is also because many of these programs provide free teacher training!

Outsourcing

Some schools prefer to outsource their sex education to a professional sex educator or to organizations that provide a sex education curriculum and educator such as Planned Parenthood, Girls Inc, and a number of groups providing abstinence-only-until-marriage programs (ex. Heritage). Until 2009, it was only possible for school districts to receive federal funding for abstinence-only programs. Education dollars in Georgia are scarce, leaving no dollars for comprehensive sex education. GPRHE is urging our federal legislators to ensure that future federal budgets will allow schools to apply for funding for comprehensive sex education.

Many of our children are receiving sex education in an after-school program, and some schools choose to provide targeted sex education to specific risk-groups in school-based after-school programs. In Georgia, these programs are predominantly abstinence-only-until-marriage.