Board to Review Sex Education Policies

The Ventura County Board of Education will consider revisions to board policy on sex education and family life curriculum at a meeting scheduled today.

Trustee Wendy Larner said she asked for the revisions because some of the policies are not in line with new legislation. A 1992 law, for example, spells out what children should learn about HIV and AIDS in sex education classes, she said.

But those guidelines are not always being followed in the 18 special education, alternative and courts schools that the county board oversees, she said.

For example, Larner said, she would like all course materials and instruction to stress that students should abstain from sexual intercourse until marriage. And she said there is too much emphasis on using condoms as a method to prevent AIDS.

“There’s kind of a condom-mania out there,” she said. “What we should be doing is warning about the failure rate of condoms and telling kids that the only safe way to prevent AIDS is to abstain from sex.”

The board will meet at 6 p.m. at the county schools administrative office, 5189 Verdugo Way, Camarillo.