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TULSA, Oklahoma - Tulsa Public Schools voted Tuesday night to expand its sex education program. They'll start with four schools, with plans to expand the program to classrooms across the district.

The course is already offered in summer school. Now, it will be offered to 7th, 9th, and 11th at two high schools and two middle schools, as part of the day-to-day class schedule, if parents opt in.

The district says the state's alarming teen pregnancy rate has them looking to find ways to educate students.

"Forty-four percent of students who become pregnant or who are married at that age fail to graduate from high school, and that's something hat affects them for the rest of their life," said Steve Mayfield, of TPS.

"I think, ignoring the issue is something we don't have the luxury of doing any longer," Kim Schutz, Director of the Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, said. More at http://www.news9.com/story/23329268/tulsa-school-board-to-vote-on-exan
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"I can't remember it ever being a topic in TPS - even embedded in a biology class or something before," said Mayfield, who has worked at TPS for most of the last 45 years. “I’ve read the entire curriculum, and the first priority is abstinence. The key to this that I really like is it shows you the HIV and disease rates. Kids don’t think in those terms, but they need to.” http://www.sacbee.com/2013/09/03/5702810/tulsa-public-schools-looks-to
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US Teen Pregnancy Rate Drops Due To Contraception Access, Remains High In Abstinence-Only Red States

The overall US teen pregnancy rate has fallen six percent and it’s all thanks to contraception knowledge and access. Meanwhile, in abstinence-only red states, the rate remains high as the Republican war on comprehensive sex education and birth control rages on.

The National Center for Health Statistics reports that the national teen pregnancy rate now stands at 29.4 births per thousand teens 15-19 years of age. The 2012 rate is the lowest on record in the 73 year history in which the government has collected the data. According to CDC surveys of high schoolers examined by Dr. John Santelli, the trend downward is the result of increased usage of contraception.

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“There is not much evidence of a change in abortion use and not much change in sexual activity,” Santelli says. “What we have seen is greater availability of much more effective birth control methods.” http://www.nbcnews.com/health/teen-birth-rate-hits-historic-low-offici
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