The Gwinnett County School system could be adopting a new sex education program in the fall that could provide more inclusive lessons.
The new program will have more comprehensive lessons about consent, contraceptives and gender and sexual identity according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The district will assess programs this spring that they will recommend to the board for the August 2023 school year. The current program, Choosing the Best, and the Health Smart program are both under consideration. Both programs have abstinence as the foundation of their curriculum.
Some parents and groups that are in favor of the Choosing the Best program believe the new content may encourage sexual behavior and believe some elements such as the illustrations of body parts to be too graphic.
Brenda Stroll, a retired nurse has helped develop sex education programs in Gwinnett County and at the state level. She has advocated for keeping the program Choosing the Best. She told the AJC there have been lower teenage pregnancy rates since the program was adopted and that the program Health Smart contains inadequate information about condoms and sexually transmitted infections.
However, student activists believe a more expanded curriculum is essential for students to learn about sexuality. Neev Sedani, junior at Duluth High School and member of the Georgia Youth Justice Coalition, told the AJC that lessons have been limited only to heterosexual relationships and the dangers or risks of sex.
According to the AJC, the Gwinnett County School system began looking into a new program following a recommendation from its Community Health Education Advisory Committee. The district posted material from several textbooks covering elementary, middle and high school in October. People were able to provide their thoughts.
This is not the first time Gwinnett County Schools' sex education program has been under the microscope. They faced a push in 2017 to change its sex education program but Choosing Best stayed in place.
