STD Tests at High School?
The program to provide STD education and testing is an important opportunity for District students and parents. For students, it provides critical information about a harsh reality of sexual activity. For parents, it offers another resource for handling the challenging talks we need to have with our children.
One undeniable fact: Students need to know more. The troubling number who test positive for sexually transmitted diseases indicates that neither schools nor parents are doing a good job teaching students how to make healthy decisions about sex. A program that provides information, an immediate opportunity to be tested for an STD and treatment gives students resources that they clearly need.
The expansion of this program gives educators a valuable opportunity to engage parents, as well. By informing parents about the realities of teen sexual activity, we can better support them in supporting their children.
This program provides one more tool as our community tackles the public health challenge of STDs. And the magnitude of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the District demands that we continue to use every tool at our disposal.
The writer is a member of the D.C. State Board of Education (Ward 4) and executive director of Jumpstart for Young Children.
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