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The State of Sex Ed in North Carolina
Your child is probably not getting comprehensive sex ed at school. Why? Find out more below!
Unlike other countries around the world, the U.S. does not have a national sex education curriculum endorsed by the government for use across the country. To fill this gap, a coalition of leading national sexual education organizations developed the K-12 National Sex Education Standards in 2012. Widely regarded as the gold standards among sexuality educators, these guidelines are used by many schools and professionals across the U.S., even though the federal government does not officially endorse them. There is little to no oversight regarding how schools implement these standards.
There is little to no oversight to ensure that health teachers follow the state & national health education standards or the Healthy Youth Act.
Why does this matter?
Check out the National Sex Ed Standards to see what your kids should be learning and when it’s developmentally appropriate for them to do so.
North Carolina Laws & Standards
Rather than being decided by the federal government, decisions about sex education standards and curriculum in the U.S. are determined by individual states.
In North Carolina, the Healthy Youth Act and North Carolina Health standards dictate what your child in public school should by law receive in terms of sex education.
Learn more and read these policies and standards below to see what you think of them.
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In North Carolina, the sex education of minors is dictated by the 2009 Healthy Youth Act. This act requires that all sex education in the public schools, for example:
Teaches that a mutually faithful monogamous heterosexual relationship in the context of marriage is the best lifelong means of avoiding sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS.
Provides factually accurate biological or pathological information that is related to the human reproductive system.
Teaches about the effectiveness and safety of all FDA-approved contraceptive methods in preventing pregnancy.
And much more…. Read the Act HERE.
Teaching this content to young people is expected to be the responsibility of health teachers.
What’s good about this law is that it promotes a form of comprehensive sex education that includes discussing all forms of FDA-approved contraception as a means to prevent pregnancy, rather than using an abstinence-only mandate.
What’s not great is that it presents a very limited view of healthy sexuality by promoting heterosexual marriage as the best (and often only) way to prevent sexually transmitted infections.
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Yes! Many of the expectations in the HYA are included in the standards, which outline what health teachers must cover in public K-12 schools. These standards state that students should, for example:
Understand the changes that occur during puberty and adolescence (4th grade)
Explain the impact of early sexual activity outside of marriage on physical, mental, emotional, and social health (6th grade)
Illustrate skills related to safe and effective use of methods to prevent STI’s as well as access resources for testing and treatment (9th grade)
And much more….
Read the full standards HERE to see what you think. Compare them to the National Sex Education Standards and note that they are falling short.
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North Carolina public schools are now also expected to follow the Parents’ Bill of Rights, or SB 49. This law passed in 2023 and requires that public schools, for example:
Inform parents if a child chooses to use a name or pronouns at school that are different than they were assigned at birth.
This is despite the reality that many queer children do not feel safe in their identities at home.
Prohibits instruction on gender identity, sexual activity, or sexuality for grades kindergarten through fourth grade, regardless of whether the information is provided by school personnel or third parties.
This is despite concepts of gender forming for children around age 2-3 and experiences of gender dysphoria often starting as young as age 7 for many queer children.
And much more…. Read the bill HERE to see what you think.
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Private and charter schools have flexibility on what they are able to offer for sex education. The only way to know what your child’s school is covering in terms of sex education is to ask!
So, what is my child actually learning about sexuality education at school?
The only way you’ll truly know what is being covered in your child’s classroom is to ask!
Some teachers go above and beyond, providing accurate and comprehensive information.
Others might only cover the basics, share their personal views, or even give out biased or inaccurate content.
Some teachers skip these important topics entirely, often due to discomfort or a lack of training in sexual health education.
To make things even more challenging, some new laws, like the Parents’ Bill of Rights, are unfortunately making sex education in schools worse. These bills can:
Directly threaten the safety and well-being of LGBTQ+ children.
Deny all children the right to comprehensive, inclusive, and age-appropriate information about their bodies, relationships, and lives.
