Rethinking sex education

Listen 48:55
(Bigstock photo)

(Bigstock photo)

Guest: Al Vernacchio

Sex education curricula vary hugely across the country. 24 states mandate some kind of sex education, but 18 require sex ed teachers say it’s important to only have sex if you’re married. 12 states require that sex ed include some discussion of sexual orientation — but 3 of them require that information be negative. AL VERNACCHIO, author of For Goodness Sex: Changing the Way We Talk to Teens About Sexuality, Values, and Health, has been a human sexuality educator for more than 25 years. He currently teaches N – 12 at Friends’ Central School in Wynnewood, PA. He joins Marty for a conversation about what good sex ed looks like — from basic conversations about consent and gender with younger children, to more complex discussions about identity, orientation, contraception, abstinence, porn literacy, and more with his juniors and seniors.

WHYY is your source for fact-based, in-depth journalism and information. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on financial support from readers like you. Please give today.

Want a digest of WHYY’s programs, events & stories? Sign up for our weekly newsletter.

Together we can reach 100% of WHYY’s fiscal year goal