STDs must have more coverage in school curriculum
This story was originally published in the first edition of The Lion’s Tale (October 7th, 2021).
Introducing certain aspects of health can be very difficult for parents to do, let alone schools having a whole segment on talking about reproductive health. This is completely understandable, however it is unacceptable to have so many teens in danger of diseases due to the lack of communication when it comes to this subject.
This is a flaw that needs to be worked on in education, this ignorance can be excused during elementary and middle school but once high school begins, this can no longer be condoned. No matter how much anyone may want to pretend or look the other way
when it comes to hearing about any student or teen being sexually active, it can no longer be ignored. Even with some parents educating their children in this matter they may still lack a complete explanation of reproductive health due to the guardian’s fear of exposing their child to the full extent. The education system has the responsibility to further enlighten students about the dangers and how ‘safe’ anyone could really be.
In order to solve this lack of education, schools need to take more responsibility in doing their job and teach the subject, even through the difficult conversations that have to be had in or- der to learn and prevent mistakes from happening.
Every student has the right to know how their body works, and schools don’t include this information for a large group of students. LGBTQ+ students don’t receive the education they need to protect themselves if and when they are sexually active. All aspects of sexual health should be taught, no matter with who it is with.
This is exactly why students should be tested on reproductive health on various levels, not only learning the mechanics of contraceptives and their reliability, but also the many diseases that can be prevented with proper education. Overall, this subject needs to be expanded on whether it’s at school or at home. Sexual health is not something to be discarded and it is indispensable.
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