Parents are the most influential advocates when it comes to implementing and or improving sexuality education curricula within the schools. As a parent, you have the right to know what your child is being taught, and you have the power to make sure your school district is complying with Washington’s Healthy Youth Act.
Since the Healthy Youth Act does not have an enforcement mechanism built into the law, it is up to parents, along with activists within the community and schools to be advocates for comprehensive sexuality education and ensure that districts are in compliance.
1. Talk to your son / daughter / youth in your life about sexual health and share your values.
2. Write your national Congress people and tell them to fully fund comprehensive sexual health education at the federal level
3. If there is not a sex education curriculum, take action! Tell your school district, as a parent, you want your child to get comprehensive sex education.
4. Call your principals and superintendents and ask to review the district’s sexual health education curricula if one is provided
5. See if you can get on the health education curriculum selection committee in your district.
6. Start up a parent group, talk to the school board, and meet with teachers and administrators to express why sex education is important to you.
7. Donate to the Healthy Youth Alliance. Your money will go directly to programs like training teachers on comprehensive sexual health curricula and outreach to districts who do not yet have comprehensive sexual health curricula
8.Attend parent and school board meetings to advocate for comprehensive and medically accurate sexual health curricula.
9. Go to parent nights offered by the school before the sexual health education unit begins. Demand them if they are not happening at your child’s school.
10. Help elect school board members that support comprehensive sex education in your district—or run yourself!
11. Write a letter to the editor in your local news media and advocate for comprehensive sex education.
12. Join our Facebook page: I Support Comprehensive Sex Education in Washington Schools.
13. See this parent tool kit: Advocates for Youth has a variety of tools and advice on how parents can more easily talk to their teens about sex and sexuality.