Q&A
Statistics on sex education in NYC public schools
1:46:03
·
123 sec
Council Member Shahana K. Hanif inquires about the number of students receiving sex education in NYC public schools. DOE representatives explain that sex education is part of the broader health education curriculum, with 99.7% of high school students and 58% of middle school students meeting the requirements.
- Sex education is integrated into health education, not taught as a separate subject.
- The discrepancy between 100% and actual numbers is attributed to factors like students leaving the system but not yet discharged.
- The city requires sex education to be part of one semester of health education.
Shahana K. Hanif
1:46:03
Thank you, chair Joseph, and good afternoon.
1:46:07
I like to dive right in.
1:46:09
How many, New York City public schools, school students are receiving sex ed in middle school and how many, public school students are receiving sex ed in high school?
1:46:20
And I'm not sure if this was already covered.
Despina Zaharakis
1:46:23
So we don't capture the number of students receiving, sexual, health education because it's part of health education.
1:46:32
So if we say that, 99.7% of students are meeting requirements at the high school level, that means that they, we we're assuming they were taught the health education curriculum, which includes, sexual health education lessons.
Shahana K. Hanif
1:46:50
So what's the total for students receiving then the health curriculum?
Despina Zaharakis
1:46:56
The for high school, it's 99.7%.
1:46:59
Mhmm.
1:47:00
Right?
1:47:00
Because it is a graduation requirement.
1:47:02
And then for middle school, it is 58%.
Shahana K. Hanif
1:47:06
And the, the remaining students either opted out or what are what are the reasons for this not being
Narrator in Shown Video
1:47:15
at a
Despina Zaharakis
1:47:15
100%?
1:47:18
It is, it could be students that have left the system but are not discharged yet.
1:47:24
It could be it's a very minute number, right, for the 99.7.
1:47:31
But it does not mean that any student graduated without the credit.
1:47:34
It means that something, whether the student is a super senior, whether the student, you know, left but isn't discharged yet, something like that.
Shahana K. Hanif
1:47:43
And and so it's it's, right to to, say that students who participate in the health curriculum took a a course or participated in classes related to sex ed?
Despina Zaharakis
1:47:58
The sexual, health curriculum?
1:48:01
It it is sexual health are lessons in health education.
Shahana K. Hanif
1:48:05
Education.
1:48:06
Okay.
Quadira Coles
1:48:06
Yep.
