How to Fight for Sex Education at Your School
By Alba Alvarado
Alba is a first-generation college student, a leader in Latinx communities, and a fearless advocate for women’s health. She knows a thing or two about advocating for sex education. During her senior year of high school, she proposed a condom accessibility policy in her district — and it passed. Thanks to her, condoms and STI pamphlets are available in high school bathrooms throughout San Rafael, California.
Advocating for change can be intimidating, but you have more power than you might think. Check out my guide to help you get started.
1. Start with the basics
Understand the problem you want to fix. What is your experience with sex education at your school? Are there any existing policies related to sex ed? Are you getting enough sex ed? Are your teachers skipping over topics that you know are important — like LGBTQ relationships, birth control options, or abortion? Does your school prioritize abstinence-only programs? Do you know what effective sex ed looks like?
If an improved curriculum is your goal, check out how Planned Parenthood teaches sex education.
Want to know what your local and state laws are? Start by reading about the state of sex education in the U.S. and the Sex Education Laws and State Attacks from the Planned Parenthood Action Blog. You can find even more specific info on the Guttmacher Institute’s website.
Want to bring condoms to your campus? Gather studies such as The Impact of a High School Condom Availability Program.
It’s important to know where you’re starting so that you can set the right goals. If there’s already a sex ed policy in place at your school, you have to work with those in power to change it. If there is no sex ed policy on the books, learn why that is, and ask if you can take part in writing a new policy.
A good start can be sending an email to your local school board to set up a meeting or phone call to learn more about existing policies. This way you can establish a relationship with the board and get the information you need. Ask a teacher, your school principal, or check your school district’s website to figure out how to get in contact with someone on the school board. If your district has a school health advisory committee, that’s also a good place to start.
2. Find an ally
Navigating the politics of a school system as a student can feel scary. Ask a parent or an adult you trust to help you prepare for meetings, write emails or proposals, guide your research, hype you up, etc. They can give you that extra push or words of encouragement and back you up if you need it. You can always contact your local Planned Parenthood affiliate for support — they’re the nation’s largest provider of sex education.
3. Hit ‘em with the facts
More than 90% of parents support sex education in both middle and high school. And the vast majority of parents want sex ed to include topics like birth control, healthy relationships, abstinence, and sexual orientation.
Be prepared for questions, concerns, and backlash. Come to meetings and presentations ready to back up your claims and justify your requests. It’s hard to say “no” to numbers and data. Research existing policies, find studies that back up your proposal, survey peers and parents, and know the local and state laws.
4. Find a team
Many brains are better than one. Gather your community — other students, parents, faculty and staff, family members, and staff from your local Planned Parenthood affiliate — and show them that sex education is a community-wide demand. Split up the research and labor, support each other, and use your combined strengths and resources to plan and build your movement.
5. Be patient and keep moving forward
Fighting for widespread change happens slowly and is often exhausting. In the meantime, there are lots of things you can do:
Read up about Advocating for Sex Education in Your Community from the Planned Parenthood Action Fund.
Contact your Planned Parenthood affiliate office to see what programs they have and how you can get involved.
Find or create resources and have your team share them with friends and family outside of school.
Contact your local health department or Planned Parenthood health center to collect and distribute condoms, or think about teaching sex ed classes at your local community center.
And remember to also take care of yourself! You don’t need to change the world in a day, and you don’t have to do it alone. Change can take months or years, but it’s always worth the fight. Sex education is education, and we all deserve to have the information, resources, and skills we need to protect our health and build our futures.
Read more about how Alba fought for sex education at her school on the Planned Parenthood Action Fund Blog>>
