Florida currently has no statewide standards for teaching sex education. A recent University of Florida study identified the following inadequacies in sex education in Florida:

• Sex education is rarely afforded an effective amount of time.
• It occurs too late in students’ academic careers (usually in 9th or 10th grade).
• There is little uniformity or standards (in terms of training or quality assurance).
• Sex education is not accessible to all students (especially Latinos).
• It fails to adequately address students’ needs.

We know that too many Florida schools don't give students the facts they need and teachers are not receiving adequate training to teach sex ed effectively. It's hard to think about the risks that Florida teens face, but it's a reality. In fact:

• Florida has the 2nd highest AIDS case rate in the country.
• Florida has the 6th highest syphilis rate of any state.
• Florida has the 6^th highest teen pregnancy rate and each year 48,440 teens get pregnant in the state.
• In Florida, AIDS-related illnesses are the 9^th leading cause of death for teens and teens report 31% of all newly acquired cases of sexually transmitted infections.
• In 2005, 12% of female high school students and 21% of male high school students in Florida reported having had four or more lifetime sexual partners.

Responsible comprehensive sex education programs do not increase sexual activity, but studies demonstrate they can help young people delay sexual activity and increase contraceptive use among those who are sexually active, as well as decrease the number of partners among those who are sexually active.

It is irresponsible to withhold information from teens that can protect them from unintended pregnancy and dangerous infections — and that may just save their lives.