Schools’ AIDS Education Woeful, U.S. Reports Say : Health: Only 15% of students most likely to be sexually active receive instruction about the disease.

Schools provide the least amount of AIDS education to 11th- and 12th-graders--a time when adolescents’ sexual activity most likely increases--and to students in smaller school districts, government reports said today.

The reports by the General Accounting Office, Congress’ watchdog agency, recommended more instruction on acquired immune deficiency syndrome to all students and that state and local governments use Centers for Disease Control funds to collect survey data on AIDS education in schools.

One reason for the lack of AIDS education in the 11th and 12th grades is the “crowded curriculum,” Mark Nadel of the GAO told the Senate Government Operations Committee.

“I can imagine a crowded curriculum, but we’ll have full graveyards,” said committee Chairman Sen. John Glenn (D-Ohio).

Martin Landry of the GAO’s Atlanta office said other reasons for limited AIDS education are the issue’s sensitivity--political and otherwise--and a lack of resources.

“I would hope people would start cooperating. This head-in-the-sand approach, because we don’t want to think about it,” will not solve the problem, Glenn said.

Sen. Herbert Kohl (D-Wis.) said without adequate education, “Kids will continue to believe they are immune to the disease.” He noted with disappointment that Wisconsin receives only $246,000 annually in federal funds for AIDS education.

Among the GAO findings:

* Only 5% of school districts require AIDS education to be provided at every grade level.

* Just 15% of school districts provide AIDS education in the 11th and 12th grades. “This is troublesome because sexual activity is likely to increase at these grade levels,” the reports said.

* Of the school districts not requiring AIDS education, most are small, enrolling fewer than 450 students.

* More than 80% of recipients of Centers for Disease Control funds did not collect data on students’ AIDS knowledge, beliefs, sexual behavior and drug use.

* Training for some AIDS teachers was absent or often insufficient.