A survey of 990 school districts in Texas revealed that the majority implement “scare tactics and spread myths in place of teaching basic sex and health information’ as part of their sex education curricula according to a Texas Freedom Network report. The two-year study examined the curricula, district policies and other material from nearly 1031 public schools in Texas.
The study revealed that 94% of public schools use abstinence-only instructions and ignore contraception and health screenings. 2% of the public schools avoid sex education totally. The report also found that 41% of school districts use sex education curricula that have factual errors, particularly regarding sexually transmitted diseases and condom effectiveness.
Other aspects revealed in the report:
• Misinformation regarding HIV transmission included in school material
• Sex education often based on fear-based instruction and stigma
• State-mandated councils have given no formal recommendations for sex education instruction to 81% of school districts
• Promotion of abstinence is the only education regarding human sexuality that is imparted to most students in Texas
• Sex education instruction contains gender-based biases and stereotypes
• Sex education is sometimes taught using religious instructions from the Bible
Texas is the recipient of more federal abstinence funding than any other state. It also has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the country.  The report recommends the appointment of at least one certified health professional and educator on every state-mandated health advisory councils to review sex education policies every three years.
The report also suggests that federal funding for abstinence-only education should be turned down and material emphasizing abstinence while offering medically accurate information be adopted. Kathy Miller, President, Freedom Network’s Education Fund, said that it is important to provide accurate information to young people “to protect their health and their futures”. For more information you can always check out the source article.