Schools Focus on Sexual Abstinence : Education: Three smaller districts emphasize decision-making and assertiveness skills and teach youths the value of waiting.

The Westside’s three smaller public school districts, Culver City, Beverly Hills and Santa Monica-Malibu, are going beyond the state-mandated “just say no” approach to teaching sexual abstinence.

Health classes are focusing on assertiveness training and decision-making skills. School boards are considering speakers and new programs in the growing field of study dealing with putting off sex.

And they say students are responding.

Culver City High School health teacher Melinda Ahdoot sees a growing acceptance and even pride in choosing sexual abstinence.

“Students tell me, ‘I’m going to wait.’ Or ‘I’m not going to have sex until I’m married,’ ” Ahdoot said. “There’s a lot more comments like that being made. Some come right out in class and say it.”

The only requirement teachers have in the realm of sexual abstinence is spelled out in an 1988 amendment to the state Education Code. It states that, when discussing sex-related topics, the teacher “shall emphasize that abstinence from sexual intercourse is the only protection that is 100% effective against unwanted pregnancy (and) sexually transmitted diseases.”

Teachers say they have come to realize that they need a better strategy for teaching sexual abstinence than stating the obvious.

The AIDS epidemic, they say, has made this especially clear. An Education Code amendment that took effect this year now mandates instruction about the AIDS virus in grades seven to 12. The law states that refusal skills and decision-making skills should be developed to avoid behavior that could lead to HIV infection.

“Abstinence used to be some words on the bulletin board. . . . Now it’s becoming a philosophy,” said Sam Wood, assistant program coordinator at the state office of health education. “We need to deal with the underlying issues: The peer pressures, the self-esteem.”

So far, few course materials are available dealing specifically with sexual abstinence. But as demand grows, the curriculum will follow, Wood said.

But there is progress. For the first time, the state is developing workshops on how to teach sexual abstinence, as opposed to mentioning it during a workshop on another subject.

As the sex education curriculum grows increasingly graphic, schools are under pressure to balance it with sexual abstinence education.

Many health teachers feel compelled to choose life-saving straight talk over modesty. At all three Westside districts teachers demonstrate how to use condoms, using cucumbers and prostheses for models. (Safe-sex instruction is also required in the Los Angeles Unified School District, but methods of instruction vary considerably from teacher to teacher.) The teachers who give such demonstrations say they do so to clear up any uncertainty about what “unsafe sex” is.

“I don’t have time to beat around the bush,” said Santa Monica High School health teacher Johanna Chase. “It’s important to talk about sensitive issues, whether it be homosexuality or anal sex. This may be the only place they get this stuff.”

Many parents and religious groups object to such an approach, arguing that speaking openly about sex condones and encourages such behavior.

Although most educators dispute that theory, there is little evidence to support either side.

RAND Corp., the Santa Monica-based research group, is studying whether giving condoms to students affects behavior and attitude. But results won’t be available until the fall.

Surveys show that more high school students than ever are having sex.

In a national 1990 survey by the Centers for Disease Control, 72% of high school seniors reported having had sexual intercourse some time in their lives. By the ninth grade, 40% reported having sex.

Santa Monica teacher Chase says only a small percentage of these students were ready to have sex.

“Teen-agers are fascinated by sex, but not aware of the pain and disappointment that can arise if the relationship doesn’t work out,” she said. “They’re not mature enough to handle the emotional end of it.”

Love is one of the least influential reasons for having sex, students say.

“A lot of people hear there’s a lot of pain and don’t want to do it,” said Nilu Ghaffari, a 10th-grader at Santa Monica High School. “Then there’s others who want to get it (losing one’s virginity) over with. It’s like a paper due and you want to get it over with.”

Chase said discussions on sexual abstinence are not limited to the sex-education component of health class. The option of abstaining plays naturally into lessons on being assertive, withstanding peer pressure and accepting responsibility.

Teachers can bring outside speakers and materials on sexual abstinence, but they must receive school board approval first.

Culver City schools recently approved a contract with the state office of family planning to offer a five-session slide program called Education Now And Babies Later (ENABL).

Launched this year, the program is based on methods developed by Dr. Marion Howard of Emory University in Atlanta, said ENABL spokeswoman Julie Linderman. It targets teen-age pregnancy and is presented to students 12 to 14. Follow-up studies show students who participate in the program are more likely to put off sex longer than those who don’t take part.

ENABL is the largest program of its kind and will reach up to 100,000 students this year, Linderman said. Culver City plans to start the first session at the end of this month.

But a few wrinkles are being worked out. A sample trailer shown last spring caused some students to giggle and snicker, according to Vicki Carlin, a health coordinator at the Culver City Youth Center.

“It wasn’t the message,” she said. “It was the way it was presented. It was outdated. . . . It looked like the ‘80s.”

The trailer was filmed in Georgia. But the program will use slides shot in California in order to be culturally appropriate.

“The new slides are with California kids,” Linderman said. “There won’t be any Southern accents.”

Teachers also form peer guidance groups to discuss sexual abstinence, based on the theory that students listen more to each other than to adults.

Ahdoot of Culver City puts students into small groups to discuss the pros and cons of sexual abstinence.

“You would be amazed at how perceptive and sophisticated they are,” she said.

The atmosphere is serious. Occasionally, a student will snicker when Ahdoot demonstrates how to use a condom by rolling one over a banana. But instead of triggering more laughter, the student gets icy stares from the rest of the class.

Beverly Hills High School health teacher Joyce Banzhaf uses role-playing to prepare students for real-life situations. There are always plenty of volunteers.

Among the questions dealt with in the role-playing scenarios, Banzhaf said, are: “How do you say no to sex? What questions should you ask? Would a rubber be enough protection for you in this situation? Or would you do something different, like abstain? I’ve often had kids say, ‘Wow, that made it graphic for me.’ ”

Chase uses her own style of straight talk in Santa Monica.

“I tell my students there are many ways to sexually express yourself without having sex. We talk about masturbation. We talk about kissing and touching.”

Educators agree that parents have the most influence over a child’s sexual behavior. A well-adjusted child with an open family relationship is likely to use health class information as reinforcement of what is learned at home.

Other students are more susceptible to peer pressure and the media, which often glamorize sex without showing negative consequences.

Educators see a need for a team approach between parents, teachers, community leaders and the media in order for students to take the message seriously.

“If sexual abstinence is to be a realistic goal,” Wood said, “we need to pull together so we can give one message rather than several different messages.”