Opinion: New York is one of the top 10 worst states for sex ed. Here's how to fix it.

New York is known as one of the most forward-thinking states, often at the forefront of cutting-edge policies and programs. However, when it comes to sexual health education for young people, we lag far behind.

SIECUS, a national voice for sex education, recently released a list of the best and worst states for sex education. SIECUS placed New York on its list of  top 10 worst states, assigning us a grade of D-. As SIECUS points out, while New York state requires HIV/AIDS instruction in schools, it does not require sex education. This means many of our young people do not have access to sexual education in schools, and even if they do, information may be incomplete, inaccurate or stigmatizing.

Comprehensive sex education covers more than just safer sex and birth control. It includes medically accurate and age-appropriate information on puberty, anatomy and physiology, consent, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation and violence prevention, and it helps young people build communication skills and make healthier decisions. Decades of research show that when young people receive this information, their health outcomes improve.

And we know that young people need this support now more than ever.

In 2023, people from 10 to 29 years old accounted for about 65% of chlamydia cases, 46% of gonorrhea cases and 36% of new HIV diagnoses in New York City. People of color, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people, and people living in high-poverty neighborhoods were disproportionately affected. As of 2020, pregnancy rates among people from 15 to 19 years old in New York City were most elevated in higher poverty neighborhoods. In 2023, 10% of high school students in New York City experienced sexual violence (such as forcible kissing, touchin, or sexual intercourse) by someone they were dating, and a similar proportion experienced physical violence (such as being hit, slammed into something or injured with an object or weapon) by someone they were dating. Compared with their heterosexual peers, lesbian, gay and bisexual students reported even higher rates of sexual and physical violence, as well as bullying, and were more likely to consider attempting suicide.

If you’re a parent and agree that comprehensive sex education is important for our young people, you’re not alone. According to a 2023 poll, an overwhelming majority of parents nationwide support it.

New York City recognizes the value of such instruction and is doing what it can to promote comprehensive sex education for its students. Since 2011, New York City Public Schools has required that all students in grades 6-12 receive sexual education as a component of their health education courses and has set expectations around the topics that should be covered. This is in addition to New York City’s recently updated HIV curriculum, “Growing Up and Staying Safe,” which is required for all public school students in grades K-12.

Another layer of support is New York City Teens Connection, which works with young people, parents, schools, clinics and community groups to help young people get the information and resources they need to make healthy decisions. Those young people include Andrew, a high school senior in Bedford-Stuyvesant and an intern with Teens Connection. Andrew sees a gap in young New Yorkers’ understanding of sexual health. “A lot of my peers don’t have really have complete knowledge of sexual health, so I want to be a support system for them,” he said.

The city is aware that more can be done. In 2017, then-Mayor Bill de Blasio established the Mayoral Sexual Health Education Task Force to review the current state of sexual health education in New York City schools and recommend ways to improve curricula implementation and staff capacity. Last year, Mayor Eric Adams relaunched the task force, and local government officials, parents and caregivers, educators, sexual education experts and students continue to work together to examine past recommendations, inventory existing programs and identify expansion opportunities and issue recommendations on how to improve sex education in New York City. However, absent a legislative mandate to require comprehensive sex education in schools, the task force is limited in what it can achieve.

To ensure that all students receive this information, and to bring us to the top 10 states where we belong, New York state must require comprehensive sexual health education in schools. The Healthy and Safe Students Act would do just that. If passed, it would require comprehensive sex education instruction for public and charter school students in grades K-12, including model curricula aligning with the National Sex Education Standards.

Comprehensive sex education is a necessity. To advocate for the well-being of all students, speak with your child’s school principal about the value of comprehensive sex education and learn what is and is not being taught at your child’s school. Contact your local Assembly member and state senator and urge them to support the Healthy and Safe Students Act.

By requiring comprehensive sex education in schools statewide, we can make sure all students have the accurate information and essential skills they need to make responsible decisions about their bodies, relationships and futures.