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District 150 aims to expand sex education curriculum

District 150 is also working to expand it’s sexual education programs starting this fall. A grant from the State Board of Education will help the district implement a five-year plan to add programs that focus on contraception. District 150 Special Education Director Maureen Langholf says the program aims to work with area health departments and community groups to promote safe sex:

 
“Increasing professional development for staff, getting the word out, making sure our curriculum is in alignment with safe and supportive environments for students, looking at our curriculum, and then looking at the health centers and health services, so it’s a three-pronged approach,” Langholf.
Currently the district’s policy only requires abstinence, not contraception. But a state law this year is requiring districts teach both. Langholf says the goal is to see a reduction in sexually-transmitted-infections and teen birth rates in the area by 2018. A survey of teens at Peoria High School shows some students are more at-risk for having sexual activity and multiple partners compared to the national average. But it shows the sampled Peoria High teens are more likely than peers nationwide to use condoms and avoid drugs before a sexual encounter.