Arleta : Students at Sharp Urged to Postpone Sex

Lessons for 250 fifth- and sixth-graders at Sharp Avenue Elementary School in Pacoima went beyond reading, writing and arithmetic this week and into the more personal topic of sexual activity.

Instructors discussed the social pressures and physical risks surrounding sex and presented a clear message to their preteen audience: wait until you’re older.

Lots older.

“We believe fifth- and sixth-graders shouldn’t be sexually active,” said Rebecca Sheng, spokeswoman for the Northeast Valley Health Corp. “They’re constantly being pressured to be. A lot of them have older brothers and sisters and are exposed to it that way.”

The nonprofit agency, which has clinics in San Fernando and Pacoima, has presented the series of 50-minute lessons to seven San Fernando Valley elementary schools during the past nine months. Lessons at Sharp concluded Thursday with an awards presentation.

The program offers tips on how to avoid peer pressure and suggests non-sexual alternatives for expressing affection, such as going for a walk or attending a concert together.

It does not provide information about sexual acts.

Parents were allowed to attend earlier meetings that demonstrated the program’s format and subject matter. Permission slips had to be signed for each child to participate.

“We learned the dangers of having sex,” said Gerardo Gomez, 11. “You can’t just go around sleeping with people. If you do, you could get AIDS or something like that.”

The curriculum, Postponing Sexual Involvement, is funded by the California Office of Family Planning. Usually aimed at junior high school students, its presentation at the elementary school level in the northeast Valley is an acknowledgment of the area’s high rate of teen-age pregnancy, Sheng said.

“The basic desire is to reach students before they’ve had sex,” said Doug Kirby, director of ETR Associates, which sells the curriculum. “You want to get them used to the idea of putting off having sex.”

California leads the nation in the number of teen-age pregnancies, which are almost 40% higher than the nationwide average, according to a study by the Senate Office of Research released three months ago. One-third of those pregnancies occur in Los Angeles County, the study said.

“Most of the teachers agree that this program is necessary,” said Sheng. “They say that more than an anatomy and physiology lesson is needed.”