ATHENS - The Clarke County School board has approved by an 8-1 vote two new sex education programs, ending a long-standing practice of abstinence-only education.
Next year, students in the county will take the ``Great Body Shop,'' a program that begins in kindergarten, teaching how to express affection and identify different relationships and how germs are spread. By fifth grade, students learn about anatomy and puberty.
In middle school, students will take the ``Family Life and Sexual Health'' curriculum, first developed in 1985 by Seattle's public health department. Under that program, students learn about the effectiveness of contraception and condoms in preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.
Abstinence still will be taught, and parents will get the option to exempt students from class.
Wednesday
October 9th, 2024
12:30AM
