AIDS education in Dallas schools is not good enough, advocates say

by Blair Lovern

That may be true, but to fall back on the "everyone does it" excuse for kids and sex is a joke.

Raeline Nobles, executive director of AIDS Arms, tells the Dallas Advocate that AIDS education in Dallas schools needs to be improved.

“We don’t go to Dallas ISD for prevention advocacy, because they aren’t open to talking about condoms.” said Nobles. “It’s not effective or realistic. Personally, I think it’s insulting, because the pregnancy and syphilis rates in this county show that young people are having sex, and all you’re allowed to say is don’t do it.”

Insulting? What a choice of words. I have never understood this alleged reasoning, and if Raeline Nobles would actually read the words she said she would find the largest of holes in her argument: abstinence is absolutely, 100% effective against contracting a sexually transmitted disease or getting pregnant. So how are pregnancies and syphilis rates going up? By not "doing it"?

Who is running AIDS Arms? George Orwell?

If kids were allowed to do anything all the time, then what's the point of parenting? Who cares what kids do, they're going to do it anyway. Are there no guidelines for them to follow ever? Oh, but sex is different. Really? That's the only behavior that is uncontrollable, ungovernable and unmanageable? This is such a serious topic, and to shrug it off with the "everyone does it" excuse is as foolish as you can get. When are boundaries allowed? Sometimes? Never? Only when a condom is used?

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noleman, says:

So that 32 year old grandma is supposed to teach her kids not to have sex? And about AIDS? Stick to editorializing about crap in Tarrant County where you have no problems. I hear Southlake built a new store; maybe you can interview mom’s parking their SUV’s about their stances on sex-ed. You know, for a balance of opinions.

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3 years ago
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Blair Lovern, says:

The 32-year-old grandma should also teach why it's not so great that we have 32-year-old grandmas.

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3 years ago
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Alan Cohen, says:

I say both should be taught. My feeling is that the point of education is to educate - thus we should be at least attempting to show kids the full picture. That means teaching them about all their options and the very real risks and consequences that can happen as a result of their choices.

But that is different than parenting. Sometimes parents have to make choices for their kids. Sometimes parents have to lay the hammer down.

Schools and teachers are NOT parents.