Local Leaders To Examine Sex-Ed In Utah

None by Eric Ray

Public School Curriculum Could Change in Two Years

(KCPW News) With gonorrhea rates in Utah tripling in the last seven years and reports of Chlamydia up 77% in Utah County last summer, many are questioning the effectiveness of the state's sex education curriculum.

The Utah Department of Health decided today to spend $250,000 on a media campaign about how to prevent sexually transmitted diseases. The money is part of the $1,000,000 donation from Jon Huntsman Senior that will also be used to vaccinate uninsured women against the human papillomavirus which is known to cause cancer.

Dr. David Sundwall, Executive Director of the Utah Department of Health, says the campaign will include messages about the risks of unprotected sex and multiple sex partners, along with promoting abstinence and monogamy.

Utah's current sex-ed curriculum in public schools is up for review in two years and the Governor's Office of Education says it is open to suggestions from parents and teachers.

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