Preaching Chastity In the Classroom

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To quell such worries, some educators and policymakers are embracing more comprehensive sex education. Waco public schools, which comprise the largest school district in McLennan County, declined the federal and state grant money for abstinence-only education and opted instead for a curriculum that includes information about contraceptives. Some schools in Minnesota have a dual-track sex-ed system, in which parents choose between an abstinence-only class and one that includes instruction in other ways of preventing pregnancy and STDs. And in Missouri and California, new laws require sex education to be "medically accurate" in portraying the effectiveness of contraceptives.

The issue is not likely to subside, especially in an election year. But for many students at La Vega High, the debate might seem academic. According to a survey conducted by Tooley, of the 200 participants in their second year of abstinence-only classes, 60% have already lost their virginity--and 10 of the girls are pregnant.