STD surge in Arkansas prompts questions about sex education in schools

LITTLE ROCK (KATV) — Arkansas remains one of just a handful of states without legal requirements for sex education in the midst of rising cases of sexually transmitted diseases.

In 2018, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported more than 2 million cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis.

The Natural State continues to rank at the top when it comes to teenage pregnancy and a host of STDs.

Arkansas has seen a 60 percent increase in reported gonorrhea cases since 2014 (7,300 cases).

Chlamydia jumped 13 percent with just over 17,000 cases while syphilis increased 147 percent attached to 964 cases in 2018.

Jerry Cox, president and founder of Family Council, a religious advocacy group, expressed there's no need for the state to intervene in deciding how schools should teach sex ed.

"It's important that the local school district come up with a program that reflects the faith values of a local community," said.

Family Council's philosophy revolves around traditional faith-based values, which may not be agreed upon by every Arkansan.

Cox said the solution to reducing the STD surge comes down to an alternative term for abstinence.

"Our belief is that if you have risk avoidance programs that that's the crux of what the program needs to be," Cox said.

Planned Parenthood of the Great Plains has no official position on whether sex education should be mandated in Arkansas.

"It is not Planned Parenthood's official stance to say one way or another what is best because then you get into education and curriculum issue," said Gloria Pedro Planned Parenthood's Arkansas Manager of Public Policy and Organizing.

But Pedro acknowledged people do have a choice to learn about sex and STD prevention through the avenue they choose, whether it's at school or other means.

"Planned Parenthood is always a fan of giving information to patients and helping them to advocate for themselves and what's best for their bodies," Pedro said.

Arkansas' standards for schools that opt-in for teaching sexual health, emphasize abstinence.

Conway Public Schools was the only district that provided a concrete response to the type of sex education program taught in the classroom.

"In Conway schools, our students are taught about STD’s in Health Class, which is a required course for all high school students. We follow the state standards, as set forth by the Arkansas Department of Education (now the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education)," said a spokesperson with Conway Public Schools.

Previous legislative attempts to implement a comprehensive health education course addressing sex education and STD prevention have failed.

The Arkansas Department of Health has expressed there's a need for society overall to be more open when it comes to the education of STDs for the wellbeing of the affected and to prevent further spread.

"Parents should talk about with their children, the physician should talk to their patients and screen them for sexually transmitted diseases. We need to overall as a society we need to be open about this," Naveen Patil, Arkansas Department of Health's medical director of infectious diseases.