City to teach kids about sex

How'd he get here?

Sex ed in city gets makeover

Daily News Exclusive


By KATHLEEN LUCADAMO
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

The female condom is a mystery to myriad New Yorkers, but city teens will learn about them soon as part of the Education Department's new HIV/AIDS curriculum, the Daily News has learned.

It is one of several changes in the long-awaited guidelines, which tell teachers to mention "sexual contact" in fourth-grade lessons but save the "three types of sexual intercourse" for high school, according to a memo obtained by The News.

School bosses plan to unfold the curriculum Thursday - on World AIDS Day - but abstinence-only advocates already are crying foul.

"You wonder why only 50% of kids are graduating? Maybe it is because too much emphasis is placed on condoms and sex in schools," said state Conservative Party Chairman Michael Long.

Fourth-graders are too young to learn about the controversial subject, Long charges, but educrats softened the language for the 9- and 10-year-olds from the last curriculum in 1992 and promise that abstinence is "strongly encouraged" in all grades.

Teachers will now be instructed to say "HIV can be transmitted by sexual contact with an infected person. When you are older you will learn more."

The previous version alerted fourth-graders that the virus can be contracted without effective use of a condom, and explained that condoms are used to "prevent transmission of semen, blood or vaginal fluids."

Betty Rothbart, director of the Education Department's Health Education and Family Living, said the last fourth-grade lesson plans caused a stir with parents. "Now the language is more age-appropriate," she said.

Mike Long should worry about his party and not sex ed. Because one is going down the tubes.

posted by Steve @ 9:58:00 AM