In high schools around the United States, there are many views of whether schools should teach safe sex or abstinence. Teaching safe sex prevents teen pregnancies and STDs, but can also give teens the idea that having more sex is okay. On the other hand if schools teach abstinence, then teens that are already sexually active will not be educated on what to do, causing more pregnancies and STDs. However, abstinence teaches teens to respect themselves and use sex as a meaningful activity.

Because Leavitt Area High School has such a broad range of students the health department has to teach both abstinence and safe sex because the students who already are sexually active have to be educated in that department.

“It is all about decision making, it is about arming students with information… about positive and negative aspects of relationships, and the biology behind things that are happening. People can make the best informed decisions that they can and I don’t think that it is our role necessarily to say what is right and what is wrong,” says Mr. Hartnett.

Hartnett is “a pretty strong believer that it is the parents and the student’s job to make the appropriate decision for families.” He “also believe that a lot of times students have an awkwardness maybe with parents about issues like this, if our health program can provide accurate information that can build to decision making, that will help students make the best decisions and prepare themselves for the real world.”

Here at Leavitt Area High School, a survey was taken and 10 out of 10 students say that they think high schools should teach both safe sex and abstinence.

Liz Sabine, a senior, comments that teaching safe sex in high schools causes “Less pregnancies, and less STDs,” however teaching abstinence “teaches people to wait, and respect themselves.” Although teaching safe sex can prevent pregnancies, and STDs “More people are going to attempt to have sex. We all know that if everyone attempts to have sex than something is bound to go wrong, even if they take all precautions,” says Liz Sabine.

Views from another senior, Kim Morrissette, leans more towards teaching abstinence, “I think that they should teach both abstinence and safe sex, but the importance of abstinence first because a lot of kid’s don’t have the morals and aren’t taught at home that it is better to save yourself, they are just taught to have safe sex.”

Students such as Caiden Leavitt, senior, say that “All kids should treat sex as a meaningful activity and not do it casually…I can understand people wanting to engage in

What do you think? Should schools around the United States teach safe sex or abstinence? Submit your answer and why in the buzz box located in the office and you could see your comment in the next issue of the buzz.