The Subtle Points of Controversy: A Case Study in Implementing Sex Education.

: Although surveys have documented the ignorance of American teenagers on sexual matters, and other data suggest that a substantial segment of the public favors a sex education program in the schools, implementation has been limited. A questionnaire designed to test the feelings of public school teachers, students and community members was undertaken in a stable, conservative town of 1000 in Ohio. Respondents were asked to indicate which of 17 sex education topics should be included in a curriculum, the appropriate grade level for each, and whether each should be required or elective. They also ranked potential types of instructors, indicated interest in adult sex education, and rated desirability of student-parent and coeducational classes. The 1st choice for teacher type was a "sex education specialist," followed by a physician. Slightly over 1/2 of teachers favored parent-child sex education classes, but fewer than 25% of students did. Almost 2/3 of students favored coed classrooms for sex education, while 47.5% of teachers, about 1/3 of parents of school-age children, and fewer than 1/4 of persons without school-age children saw this as desirable. Teachers were most in favor of adult sex education (83.8%), and nearly 2/3 of all adults responded positively. A majority of all respondents favored including all 17 topics listed in a curriculum, but modal percentages of parents and persons without school-age children favored dropping masturbation and abortion from the sex education classroom, and homosexuality and premarital sexual relationships also met substantial opposition. Most groups agreed that with few exceptions sex education topics were most appropriate for grades 7-9. Although an expected strong resistence to sex education was not found, cautious administrators can find a number of reasons to avoid implementing sex education.