New York City to Require Public Schools to Teach Sex Education

ABC News: New York City to Mandate Sex Education in Public Schools, by Katie Moisse:

For the first time in nearly 20 years, New York City's public middle and high schools will be required to teach students about sex.

In an email to principals last night, Chancellor Dennis M. Walcott said mandatory sex education will start in the second semester of the 2011-2012 school year. The curriculum will be flexible but will include lessons on how to use condoms, how to avoid unwanted sexual encounters and how to respect relationship partners. . . .

The mandate applies strictly to the New York City public school system. New York State currently requires one semester of health education in both middle and high school, but does not mandate sex education. Only 20 states and the District of Columbia mandate sex education, according to a recent report by the Guttmacher Institute, which studies sexual health. . . .