Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2007. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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Washington Times (12.14.07) - Monday, December 17, 2007
Gary Emerling
The standards were developed partly from well-received health guidelines used elsewhere in the country. Input from focus groups that included parents and educators was also taken into consideration. Civic leaders and health professionals have praised the guidelines, saying they will help create a much- needed defense against the city's HIV/AIDS epidemic.
Board President Robert C. Bobb called the guidelines "landmark legislation." "This is really a historic occasion for the District of Columbia to have health standards."
Adam Tenner, executive director of Metro TeenAIDS, a nonprofit focusing on HIV prevention, said the standards will allow teens to live healthy lifestyles and help officials respond to the HIV crisis in the District. "It's the dawning of a new day where ideally every young person should get the same information," said Tenner, whose group helped develop the guidelines. "We all need to support and demand that that's what happens next."
Critics of the guidelines say some are not age-appropriate and will undermine abstinence-only sex education. "The proposed standards lack an approach in sexuality education that seeks the best health outcomes for our youth by encouraging them to abstain from sexual activity outside of marriage," wrote Moira Gaul of Family Research Council in a Nov. 30 letter to the board.
A recent report released by the nonprofit D.C. Appleseed criticized D.C. Public Schools officials for delays in approving curriculum standards regarding HIV/AIDS.
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