Dear Future President:

There is an act that every person needs in their life which is sex. Yes, sex the all-time awkward topic, especially in a classroom. Despite how uncomfortable students might get just hearing the word on its own, it's important to learn about what it is and how to handle it responsibly. It is our educators' duty to teach young adults how to be equipped to make healthy choices. Despite how essential learning about the topic is, The Huffington Post states that more than half of the states in the country don’t require sex education as a part of the curriculum. Although they require schools to have health class, which often will include medically accurate information about abstinence, students don’t learn about sexually transmitted diseases (STDs.) The Huffington Post also states that in Mississippi, topics such as contraceptives and STDs can only be taught with the permission of the State Department of Education. In Tennessee it is only to be taught if the pregnancy rate reaches 19.5% in girls between the ages of 15-17. Not allowing sex ed to be taught because of these constraints is absurd.

Sex education needs to be implemented in all middle and high schools. Not only that, but it needs be to taught accurately. The Huffington Post article on sex education also includes 35 states that don’t require sex education to be medically accurate. Students can’t make safe decisions if they aren’t exposed to accurate information.  There are also states (Texas, Alabama and South Carolina) in which sex education, if provided, must include only negative information on same sex relationships. Sex education isn’t only learning about abstinence and STDs, it's learning about consent and how to respect other's gender and sexual orientation.   This is why I urge you to address this topic when you are President. There needs to be sex education as part of a school's curriculum, so that teens are equipped to make the right decisions for themselves.  

Sincerely,

Guadalupe Puente