Sex education in the public school system has long been a topic of much controversy. Some feel that it is not comprehensive enough, while others think that it introduces topics of sexuality to students who should not be exposed to such discussions. As entire classrooms and schools move to virtual platforms, the ways in which this education is delivered is bound to change.
The struggle rises in delivering information to teenagers about topics with which they may not be the most comfortable. In an average year, Planned Parenthood’s Teen Council and their facilitator, Cara Burney, create interactive activities to force students to engage in a lesson in a regular in-person environment. Students are allowed to stand up, walk around, work in groups, and engage in an active conversation about whatever lesson is being taught.
Clearly, much of this system is not feasible in a virtual setting, especially as Planned Parenthood of Greater New York (PPGNY) has officially stopped all in-person instruction for the foreseeable future. Getting students to focus on crucial health information from their homes, when it’s significantly more difficult to engage them, brings about changes in teaching style and perhaps even curriculum.
On the flip side, Burney hopes that the virtual platform will provide Teen Councils and other sex educators from Planned Parenthood the opportunity and encouragement they need to start utilising more visual aides in their lessons; the vast majority of lessons led by Planned Parenthood affiliates have been entirely discussion and verbal presentation based, albeit very interactive and engaging. The hope is that these new visuals will increase the accessibility of information to students. If an acronym is provided or if simply a diagram or picture is shown, a student can screenshot and share with a friend, or even just keep for later reference.
As for curriculum changes, classes are taught by Planned Parenthood on a demand basis. Ithaca Teen Council teaches lessons on birth control methods and consent, and some other Teen Councils that belong to PPGNY teach an eight-day pregnancy prevention workshop (the workshop will now be provided as a series of pre-recorded videos). However, Burney mentions that any given topic can be requested by schools, providing an upcoming STD lesson at New Roots being conducted over Zoom or Google Meet this year as an example.
Many hope for a rise in requests about topics including digital consent, and safety for topics such as sending nude photos. As teens interact less, in conjunction with the decrease in condom and birth control sales, many teens may be interacting with a romantic or sexual partner predominantly on virtual platforms, bringing about the need for comprehensive lessons about such topics. However, Burney also notes that about 60 percent of teens actually report practicing abstinence, so lessons can also often be focused on sexual health and wellbeing without being focused on pregnancy prevention.
Overall, though educators are moving to virtual platforms, the main goal of Planned Parenthood’s facilitated lessons remains the same: to provide instructional, medically accurate information to teens about topics of sexual health and wellbeing, though perhaps using new, more tech savvy methods. Planned Parenthood will also continue to strive to provide many resources students may take advantage of, such as free or affordable access to birth control, STD testing and treatment, emergency contraception, HIV services, abortions, and a variety of other sexual health and wellbeing services.