Sheena Albert’s letter to the editor about sex education in the Aug. 19 Sun Journal was a distressing viewpoint in regard to teachers, rather than parents, being responsible for sex education.

This type of attitude is unfortunate for the children who crave influence and openness from their parents in the matter of sex education, for parents taking an ongoing active role in teaching their children about sexual issues but have put up with this topic being taught in school as a result of some parents’ unwillingness to do so. And, for the teachers who get yet another social issue dumped on them because parents choose, for a variety of reasons, not to connect with their child on this most important topic.

In discussing this article with my daughter, a sophomore in high school, she felt the author’s opinion was backward when she wrote “Any adult can tell preteens and teens about birth control. In many cases, it takes a teacher to provide more details.”

Responsible adults would argue that it is parents’ responsibility to “provide more details.” Research proves that teenagers want to talk with their parents about sex, yet some parents avoid the topic just because it’s uncomfortable.

Parents need to step up to the plate and choose to enter the lives of their children so teachers can be let off the hook of having to act as parent in the classroom.

Carol Chabot, Lewiston