Newport-Mesa received a score of 59.34 out of a possible 100 points in the audit.
The study evaluates sex education according to a number of criteria, including whether the school districts’ curricula promote healthy relationships, provide information on responsible decision making and educate students on reducing the risk of transmitting diseases.
Martha Fluor, president of the Newport-Mesa Unified School District Board of Education, said she thought the district was doing a good job providing students with information on a variety of topics from nurses and teaching staff in health education classes. Planned Parenthood officials were welcome to tour Newport-Mesa Unified schools and sit in on health classes, she said.
“We always want to make sure we provide the most up-to-date information possible within the boundaries of what the state allows,” Fluor said.
According to the study, Newport-Mesa received the fifth-lowest score in the audit because its schools promote abstinence and do not teach students how to get testing and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases, among other criteria.
The Planned Parenthood study found numerous faults with the health textbook used in Newport-Mesa schools. “Health: A Guide to Wellness,” released in 2003 by the publisher Glencoe, lacks comprehensive coverage of sexual health topics, according to the study.
“Obvious omissions include any discussion of condoms, even when discussing HIV/AIDS, or contraceptive methods,” the study notes. “The text is also quite heteronormative, discussing exclusively heterosexual marriage as the only logical relationship in adulthood.”
