News & Commentary

It's back to school season again. Here's how to make sure your school's sexual health education is up to date and follows California law.

Used tape. A dirty toothbrush. A rose with no petals. A chewed up piece of gum. The list goes on. Abstinence-only sex ed programs are notorious for using tragically bad sex metaphors to push their harmful agenda. Parents in Redding, California recently learned that their eighth-graders’ school would be teaching that “sex is like a fire” —dangerous and scary, outside the “fireplace” of marriage.

Never has it been more important for students to know their rights, especially in the face of increasing police presence in our schools.

For years, students in Fresno have been fighting to get comprehensive sex ed curriculum in their schools. And now that dream is a reality, thanks to Fresno Unified's school board.

Here in California, students have a fundamental right to equal education opportunity. And yet, one in five students doesn't graduate high school in four years. So we’ve launched www.MySchoolMyRights.com, a multi-media campaign intended to educate students on their rights and empower them to have a say in their education.

Hi, my name is Ngan. I’m a tenth grader at Oakland Technical High School, and I’m a sex education activist.

The California Healthy Youth Act (AB 329), by Assemblymember Shirley Weber, will update and strengthen existing requirements for HIV prevention education and sexual health education to ensure that students receive education that is accurate, comprehensive, and inclusive.