The D.C. public school system is overhauling its sex education curriculum, but not everyone is happy, according to the Washington Times. Opponents to the proposed guidelines say the curriculum is biased against abstinence-only education, promotes homosexuality as innate and is not age-appropriate.

The proposed guidelines state the following:

• Ninth-graders should be taught to “analyze trends in … contraceptive practices, and the availability of abortion.”
• Eighth-grade students should be taught the definition of sexual orientation “using correct terminology” and learn that some people “may begin to feel romantically and/or sexually attracted to people of a different gender and/or to people of the same gender.”
• Sixth-grade students should be taught that “people, regardless of biological sex, gender, ability, sexual orientation, gender identity and culture, have sexual feelings and the need for love, affection and physical intimacy.”

Sex education’s role in D.C. may be under particularly scrutiny right now. According to the article, a recent report released by city officials says the number of AIDS cases per 100,000 residents in the District is much higher than the national average and that HIV cases in recent years have increasingly resulted from heterosexual contact.

The proposed guidelines still need to be given final approval by the school board before the standards are used to develop a health curriculum for public school students.

A Milwaukee, Wisconsin television station’s investigative report says kids are being exposed to sex education in unintended places, including bookstores. According to the broadcast report, “sexually graphic” books were found very close to children’s sections in area bookstores.

Our cameras caught some kids doing more than just walking by the books. We spotted a boy and a girl in their mid teens lingering in the self help sex book section at the Barnes & Noble at Mayfair Mall. They went thru several different books, many of them with explicit photos of adults in sexual positions. They picked up several different books, all of it just feet from small children.

According to the report, Barnes & Noble’s response to parents’ complaints was the following: “We strongly recommend that they [parents] keep a close watch on their children and keep them away from material they may find offensive.” Borders wrote that stores are told to place potentially objectionable material on higher shelves where they may be out of the sight of youths.

Whose responsibility do you think it is to be sure young kids aren’t exposed to potentially objectionable materials, even in public places? Do you think bookstores need to have a greater role, or is it up to parents to monitor their children?