The board of trustees approved the new human sexuality curriculum for sixth through ninth grade students at a May 19 meeting.
Two-minute impact
Starting this fall through 2028, LHISD will provide sex education lessons to students using the Choosing the Best curriculum. The curriculum provides “abstinence-centered, sexual risk avoidance education,” according to the company’s website. Parents must opt their students into the program to participate, district officials said.
The curriculum change comes as the district’s current human sexuality curriculum, LifeGuard, was no longer available, said Sam Russo, chair of the district’s School Health Advisory Council.
Both curricula are abstinence-based, medically-accurate programs that teach students about risks related to sexual activity and promote delaying sexual activity “as the safest option,” Russo said.
How it works
Under the new curriculum, the district will provide six 45-minute lessons to middle and high school students who will be separated by gender. The lessons will be given through an interactive model instead of lecture-based instruction, Russo said.
Students will receive an electronic workbook to participate in activities and take notes. The workbook will allow students to review content and complete take-home interviews with their parents.
Also of note
The School Health Advisory Council recommended only showing images of sexually transmitted diseases to ninth grade students. Additionally, the SHAC recommended the district explore creating its own anatomy and puberty lesson for sixth grade students, Russo said.
The new human sexuality curriculum fulfills the requirements of Senate Bill 9 by touching on:
- Dating violence prevention
- Sexual violence prevention
- Resisting sexual coercion
- Human trafficking
Texas law mandates that any human sexuality curriculum adopted by a school district must focus on abstinence as the “preferred choice of behavior” for all students.
A district's curriculum must emphasize abstaining from sexual activity as the only “100-percent-effective” method to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, according to state law.
