Sexual health education to be mandatory in New York City public schools

An announcement by New York City public school Chancellor Dennis M. Walcott on August 9 revealed that education in sexual health topics, including condom use and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) will be soon be required through all city-run public schools. According to ABC News, the subject matter will become a necessary part of the curriculum in the second half of the 2011-2012 school year.

This new mandate does not affect public schools in New York state, which currently requires a single semester of health education in middle and high school. New York City now joins 20 states and the District of Columbia in the fairly small group of governments that have made the teaching of matters pertinent to sexual health a necessary educational endeavor.

The news source reports that Walcott's email cited students engaging in unsafe sexual practices with multiple partners at ages as low as 13 years old and remaining unaware of STD consequences as the reason for his decision.

"I believe the school system has an important role to play with regard to educating our children about sex and the potential consequences of engaging in risky behavior," Walcott wrote, according to the news provider.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that the rates of infection for STDs including chlamydia, gonorrhea and the human papilloma virus (HPV) are most common in females aged 15 to 19.