We can probably all remember the time when learned about the P word: puberty.
If your main source of information for this was in a class at school, it was probably delivered via a squirm-inducing video.
"You're right, in the past, that was what was done," said Timothy Kordic, who is in charge of sexual health and HIV/AIDS prevention education for LAUSD.
Now the district is re-evaluating how they teach sex education:
"We're talking about body parts and what they are in grade four. And then in grade five, talking about pregnancy and what happens during pregnancy. We're talking about STI's, what causes an STI. And then in grade six we really start getting into puberty."
It's all part of a pilot program at just a handful of schools that the district is rolling out, exploring different textbooks, materials and methods to teaching sex ed.
Why now?
"Well, we've been getting for years now calls from elementary schools around the need for talking about these things more and getting really updated information. A lot of people that present this information at elementary school were really concerned about the outdated materials they had available to them. But as the other parts of health education evolve, just like nutrition and everything else ... we are looking at new things that are updated and that are more updated and that are more compliant with the law."
Going younger
"Many parents are having these discussions before they even enter school with books and conversations but you have to remember that I would really stress that these are really basic conversations and really basic simple concepts. These are kids, it's sensitive topics but they're important."
That pilot program Koredic was talking about is looking at various materials and courses. One of them is "Puberty: The Wonder Years." It's a sex ed curriculum used in 27 different states. If it's implemented by LAUSD, they would be the largest district to do so.
Wendy Sellers is the author of the book the course is based on. She spoke to A Martinez about what sets "Puberty: The Wonder Years" apart from other curriculums.
Parent engagement
"It has a strong family engagement component where the children are encouraged to find a parent or another trusted adult that they can talk to. And then each grade there are two homework assignments where the children take home questions to talk with that trusted adult, hopefully, a parent, about topics related to puberty."
Questions like:
- What was puberty like for you?
- How did you learn about puberty?
- What are some of the rules of our family around dating?
"So they're very low-level, not embarrassing questions, but the parents and other family members can then increase the conversation based on their own comfort level."
Inclusivity
"The approach that 'Puberty: The Wonder Years' takes is one of inclusivity in language. So, it uses terminology that all young people can relate to and it defines terms in ways that all young people can relate to. It does not have lessons that actually teach about sexual orientation, gender identity, directly."
To hear more about the possible new curriculum and why the district launched the pilot program, click the blue play button above.