Some California schools are revoking health class as a required course

Many health experts say that increasing education about the dangers of unprotected sex and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) is one of the best methods of slowing the spread of these infections.

However, a recent article published by MyDesertSun.com reported that the Coachella school districts in California have considered eliminating mandatory health classes and incorporating information that is part of this curriculum into science and other programs.

Several families and educators expressed disdain at the elimination of health courses because they believe students will not receive the same amount of information when the curriculum is tacked on to other classes, and it is possible that not all teachers will feel comfortable discussing topics like HIV and STD prevention.

"You hear about all that stuff but you never really hear it in detail like it's explained to you in health class," said 15-year-old Casey Taylor, a junior at Palm Desert High, quoted by the news source.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 46 percent of high school students have engaged in intercourse and only 34 percent of those who are sexually active reported that they used a condom during their last sexual encounter.