Miami Herald - December 12, 2005
Peter Bailey, pbailey@herald.com

There are times when the middle-school classroom becomes a forum on life and death, when teachers are asked to discuss oral sex and one-night stands -- topics often left to adult conversations. So it's understandable that teachers might need a little extra training on just how to have such discussions with 12-year-olds.

Last week a group of Miami-Dade public middle school teachers gathered at the Coconut Grove Sailing Club, where doctors lectured on abstinence, safe sex and accommodating HIV-positive students as part of a training seminar for the district's HIV/AIDS curriculum.

"It's been very worthwhile and I've learned a lot, it's very awkward to discuss sex in the classroom but it's important because AIDS affects our kids," said Phala Jordan, a teacher at Mays Middle School. For Jordan and the other teachers, the experience entailed soul searching and self-reflection. "It made you realize just how much you don't know and now I feel I can empathize with students who may be affected," she said.

In Miami-Dade, the curriculum called "AIDS: Get The Facts!" is mandatory for grades K-12 but the teaching method varies by grade level.

From kindergarten to fourth grade the lesson focuses on good health habits and introduces HIV only as the virus that causes AIDS. Sexual transmission is discussed at the beginning of fifth grade and abstinence is stressed as the only certain form of prevention. From grades 6-12, lessons vary according to students' maturity, but can include condom demonstrations and information on how AIDS affects society. Parents may choose to keep their kids out.

In the national debate over sex education's role in the classroom, Miami-Dade has opted for abstinence as its core philosophy but remains more liberal than other counties in Florida in its approach. For example, it's the only school district in the state that allows condom demonstrations in the classroom, said Jackie White, supervisor of HIV/AIDS education.

"We understand that some parents may be uncomfortable with the topic but we have a responsibility to properly inform our young people on the dangers of unprotected sex," White said.

In 2004, when Florida ranked second in the nation in reported pediatric AIDS cases, more than 60 percent of those cases came from Miami-Dade, according to reports from Florida's department of health.

Standing with his finger pointed to his temple, Dr. Bruce Lenes compared unprotected sex to Russian roulette. "It's like holding a pistol with 400 bullets," he said. "One out of 400 is the likelihood that a woman will become HIV-positive during unprotected sex."

Sadly, many spin to the loaded chamber. "You don't know if that one encounter will be the bullet that kills you," he said.

Lenes and other experts discussed the importance of not discriminating against HIV-positive students by making sure they're not stigmatized by educators.

For years, HIV was hung as a label on a marginalized few such as the "4-H club" -- Haitians, homosexuals, hemophiliacs and heroin users. Now, "people need to realize that HIV is an equal opportunity infector," Lenes said.

The district created guidelines on accommodating HIV-positive students, including confidentiality requirements.

"Kids can be really cruel and a child with HIV can become the victim of teasing and bullying," said Eduardo Sabillon, a teacher at Kinloch Park Middle School. Sabillon says he does "whatever it takes" to engage his students in the lesson plan and tell them "that unsafe sex is deadly, even if I have to use graphic language sometimes."

He sticks to clinical terms, he said, and shows illustrations of safe sex practices.

"Kids today are having sex and we just have to realize that."

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