Conspiracy of Silence

4. Utilize qualified classroom teachers to teach
sexuality education and ensure they receive
necessary training.
As every professional educator should know, the most
important element of effective instruction in any subject
area is a qualified and motivated teacher. Research on
effective sexuality instruction bears this out as well. 106
An effective sexuality education teacher needs two skills:
the teacher must be highly motivated and able to relate
to young people, but equally important is a professional
background in health education or other relevant fields.
Specifically, districts should utilize only certified health
education teachers to provide human sexuality education
instruction. Moreover, districts should ensure that
teachers are provided staff development opportunities
in order to stay current on topics related to sexuality
education. Given that the health and safety of young
people may be dependent upon information they receive
in their health class, school districts should place the
highest possible priority on utilizing certified and wellinformed
teachers in health education.
5. Utilize only curricular materials from reputable
sources that ensure medical accuracy and ageappropriate
content.
Development of sound and effective sexuality education
curricula is an extremely rigorous process that requires
specific training and extensive field-testing and peer
review. Alarmingly, groups or individuals with no
relevant professional background or credentials have
created a veritable cottage industry producing amateur
“sexuality education” materials. Those materials – many
of which do not reflect current research into effective
sexuality education instruction and include false or
misleading information – are marketed to districts over
the Internet and through various non-medical advocacy
groups. Given the enormous disparity in quality of
these resources, the safest course for districts to follow
is to utilize only materials developed and produced by
professionals in a relevant field.
Published research shows “what works” in sexuality
education, and Texas school district officials, teachers,
and SHAC members should be trained in these elements.
Specifically, researchers have identified key components
of sexuality education 107 that can guide the work of
school district officials in developing effective, local
policies about adoption of sexuality education materials.
No longer do district officials have to “guess” at what
works. Research is clear about evidence-based practices
to reduce sexual risk-taking among teens.
6. Carefully vet all guest speakers and monitor all
sexuality education presentations provided by
outside individuals or groups, including so-called
“crisis pregnancy centers.”
Many school districts throughout the state, as this study
found, continue to supplement classroom instruction on
human sexuality with presentations conducted by guest
speakers and outside groups. Among the most prominent
of these outside groups are so-called “crisis pregnancy
centers,” or CPCs. CPCs are a growing source of
misinformation about sex education. Moreover, the core
purpose of such organizations is to discourage people
from seeking an abortion. It is simply inappropriate for
public schools to invite into sex education classrooms
outside organizations that misinform students about
sexuality and health and that have an agenda that
opposes a legal medical procedure millions of women
choose as part of their reproductive health care.
The Sexuality Information and Education Council of
the United States (SIECUS) recommends that sexuality
education include an age-appropriate discussion on
abortion. For students in middle school and high school,
the organization suggests that instruction focus on the
safety, legality and restrictions placed on the procedure,
as well as the various religious, social and cultural
reasons a person may choose not to have an abortion. 108
In any case, all guest speakers who address any topic
related to sexuality education should be vetted to ensure
they provide reliable, accurate information. Though
motivational or character-education speakers often
market themselves as credible experts, only speakers
with professional backgrounds in health education
or human sexuality should speak to students about
these issues. One simple way to help assure the content
presented by speakers is appropriate is for the local
school board to adopt a policy requiring the SHAC to
review and approve any presentation before it is offered
to students. Further, district officials – and ideally
members of the SHAC – should review the qualifications
of outside speakers to ensure that they have the proper
expertise before schools bring them in for presentations.
And officials should monitor any presentations made
to students by an outside speaker to ensure accurate
information and appropriate content.
7. Make human sexuality instruction relevant to
LGBTQ+ students’ needs.
As we note in this report, the vast majority of health
education instruction in Texas is silent when it comes to
providing information about sexual health for LGBTQ+
students. To their credit, a few districts do address issues
such as bullying, but even fewer address health issues
particularly relevant to sexual orientation and gender
RECOMMENDATIONS
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