by: 
AFY_Joe
AFY_JoeTuesday, February 24, 2009 at 1:24:00 PM EST
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The Texas Freedom Network today released a study on abstinence-only programs within their state, and what they show is an alarming amount of misinformation currently being aimed at kids in Texas classrooms.
Texas ranks #1 in the nation in abstinence-only funding, and the TFN videos below show, literally and word-for-word, what "education" students are getting with it:
30% fail rate on condoms? No. But that hasn't stopped taxpayers from funding this type of education, or lessons that teach kids that you can get AIDS from tears and sweat.
Be sure to head over to their site and sign the petition saying that you support comprehensive sex education.“Like most parents, I provide the moral and ethical guidance my children need on this sensitive subject,” TFN Education Fund President Kathy Miller said. “I also want sexuality education programs to encourage abstinence. But we must stop burying our heads in the sand about high teen birth and STD rates and make sure young people get the medically accurate information they need to protect their health and their futures.”
Here are some additional findings from their study, along with 2 more of their wonderful new videos that are shockingly what Texas youth are being taught, verbatim:
· Community input is often a myth, with 81 percent of districts reporting no formal recommendations on sexuality education from state-mandated local advisory councils.
· 41 percent of school districts use materials with factual errors. Classes include grossly misleading information and discourage sexually active young people from protecting themselves, insisting that condoms are ineffective in preventing pregnancy and STDs.
· Shaming and fear-based instruction are standard strategies for teaching students about sexuality. Instruction often equates sex with disease, anti-social behavior and even death rather than focusing on the development of healthy attitudes students will need as adults.
· Instruction often promotes stereotypes and biases, including rigid and outdated gender roles as well as discrimination based on sexual orientation.
· Some districts betray the trust of families by forcing religious content with which parents might disagree on students during instruction on human sexuality.
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Hopefully this report will change the way that Texas approaches sex education. It is all too clear that abstinence-only education is not working. Beyond that, the little information that students do receive is riddled with misinformation. Currently there is a bill in the Texas House, HB 1371, that would require that Texas refuse federal funds dedicated to abstinence-only sex education. Already 25 other states have decided to refuse Title V funding. I can only hope that we do the same. That would be a step in the right direction towards improving sex education in the state.
# Posted By saraf
| 2/27/09 11:29 AM
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