Frequently Asked Questions

From a legal standpoint, HIV education and sex ed are often covered under separate laws/curricula. This is because of HIV's role as an epidemic virus that results in chronic illness, and because of the hard work of AIDS activists. Separating HIV education from sex ed makes it less susceptible to the political whims of local governments, since they are forced to consider the value of HIV education on its own.

Support for HIV education is currently broad and bipartisan across the United States, but there are many problems with its implementation. The arguments used to convince jurisdictions to support reforms to HIV education only partially overlap with arguments for reforming sex education, so it can be productive for lawmakers and schools to consider them separately.

There are several excellent nonprofits that advocate for sex ed generally. We focus on HIV education here because it's our area of expertise, and it's a complex issue that deserves its own advocacy group.

If you are legally prohibited from mentioning sex, focus on HIV as a chronic illness, since HIV is a chronic illness. There are some suggestions for modifying activities here.

If you are not legally prohibited from mentioning sex, we encourage you to be brave and bring it up! If an administrator or parent is unilaterally trying to stop you from teaching about HIV and/or sex, you can also file a regular complaint, a whistle-blower complaint, or a grievance. For more information, call your local union chapter or a trusted union rep (or see below).

These are some of the major variables to consider when filing a complaint/grievance:

• State and local laws (not just education laws, but also laws about student, parent, and faculty rights)

• Mandated curricula

• Who/what you're filing a complaint/grievance about

• What your relationship is to the entity you're filing a complaint/grievance about

• The specific detrimental actions taken by the entity you're filing a complain/grievance about

• Union (and other labor) contracts

For Teachers and Other Unionized Employees:

We strongly encourage you to work with a trusted union rep through this process. Your local union chapter will know more about how local laws impact may your situation, and can represent you through the process if the law and/or your contract is on your side. If you're not sure who your union rep is, or which union you're in, ask! It's always a good thing to know. If your local union rep is unhelpful, contact the chapter directly and ask for the best way to proceed.

It is also important to form connections with people in your building who may have access to different resources or belong to different unions -- for instance, school nurses, guidance counselors, and service providers. School nurses in particular can be invaluable allies in the fight for medically-accurate health education.

For Students, Parents, and Other Community Members:

You'll have to do your homework to find out how each of the variables listed above affects your situation. (Contact us if you need help.)

If it turns out someone at the school is breaking a law or ignoring the required curriculum, you should meet with the teacher, the principal, or the school board and tell them you know your rights. This alone may be enough to resolve the situation. It is fairly common for the problem to be one particular teacher or administrator; usually, making the other school employees aware that someone is breaking the law and opening them up to legal liability will result in rapid change. Get a group of people who share your concerns -- especially other students, parents, teachers, and the school nurse -- to join your meeting if you can, and make sure to ask questions like "How will the school ensure this never happens again?"

If nobody is breaking the law and the required curriculum is already being taught, but you're not satisfied, you should check out our How Can I Help? page for suggestions on pushing for change locally.

If your goal is accurate sex ed overall (not accurate HIV ed specifically), we encourage you to get in touch with SIECUS.