Is graphic sexual education in the classroom ever justified…or are political ideologies treating students like lab rats? 

Today, our guest is Lori Kuykendall, President of Beacon Health Resources in Dallas, Texas. In this episode, Melvin and Lori discuss the differences between information and ideology, how education is a preventive measure, and the relevance of teaching sex education in schools in a culture that barrages kids with unhealthy sexual ideas every day.

“…the other approach [to sex education] leads a whole different direction. It is rights-based instead of information-based. It is promoting sexual consent, it is promoting sexual freedom, right? That’s sex without consequences, sex without committment. It…really has a fallout accross health for our young people. We know they’re struggling emotionally and mentally. Very few people really understand how bad the sexually transmitted disease problem is, and teen pregancy, and abortion. All of this is fallout of what was taught to them in the classroom and by our culture.” – Lori Kuykendall, health educator

In today’s interview, Lori explores these topics and more:

• Sex education standards vary across the nation. Parents must research what curriculum is used locally to discover whether their children are being taught 1.) too little sex ed,  2.) evidence-based sex ed, or 3.) the graphic sex ed that has made the news
• The two main approaches to sex education: abstinence-based  and sexual rights-based
• Sex education based in sexual freedom leads to serious health consequences in children, including severe impacts on their emotional and mental wellbeing.
• Schools should reinforce standards taught at home, not by the culture
• Should schools teach age-appropriate sex education, or should it only be taught at home?
• Healthy learners learn better
• Key players in state sex education curricula and healthy sex education options
• How parents can expose damaging sex education standards and propose alternatives

For more educational content like today’s interview, check out our other episodes on The State of Education with Melvin Adams.

If you’d rather watch the video version of our podcast episodes, subscribe to our YouTube channel to get notified when new episodes launch! Here’s today’s conversation with Lori:

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN TODAY’S EPISODE:

• Lori recommends reading the Medical Institute for Sexual Health’s free download K-12 Standards for Optimal Sexual Development: https://newsexedstandards.org/
• Check out Lori’s organization, Beacon Health Education Resources. You can find their Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/BeaconHealthEd