Posted on 06/10/2002 4:35:38 AM PDT by Pern
Isolated incidents of oral sex on campus and talk among middle-school students of the behavior occurring at off-campus parties has alarmed some Fayette County school administrators and parents who plan meetings on the topic.
Physicians, including one who has seen an increase in sexually transmitted diseases among middle school students, and other professionals are promoting frank discussions about oral sex to discourage students from engaging in it. Still, all agree the practice is limited to a small number of students, some of whom do not equate oral sex to intercourse.
Since Beaumont Middle School principal Tom Mowery wrote to parents in December asking them "to be aware of the prevalence of oral sex at off-campus parties at the middle-school level," administrators at one school referred an incident to law enforcement, and administrators at another school, Jessie Clark Middle, called in parents to discuss a situation.
Diane Woods, the district's middle school director, put the topic on the agenda for a future principals meeting. She said she was notified of a report of oral sex occurring between two students on campus at Tates Creek Middle School several weeks ago.
Without releasing specifics, Tates Creek Middle School assistant principal Earl Stivers said the incident was investigated "both by law enforcement and administratively."
Students' remarks have made doctors and parents fear the activity is more widespread.
Dr. Hatim Omar, a University of Kentucky specialist in adolescent medicine, said that just since January, he has treated at least 10 middle school-age students for sexually transmitted diseases they said they had contracted through oral sex. That's up from six cases in 2001 and two each in 1999 and 2000.
Four students, treated for tonsillitis caused by gonorrhea, attributed their conditions to so-called "head parties," Omar said.
Also since January, he has seen students from every middle school in Fayette County who admit that they have engaged in oral sex or attended parties where students have engaged in oral sex.
Parents and administrators are responding. Besides principals addressing the topic, Beaumont PTA president Debbie Boian wants middle school PTA leaders to discuss developing programs at each school to talk to students about risky behavior.
"It's easy to say, 'Oh those kids are just bragging about having oral sex,'" Boian said. "But if there is any truth to it, you should" address the issue.
Nationally, public-health experts report that teen-agers appear to be engaging in high-risk sexual practices without caution and with alarming casualness. Nearly 1 in 10 reports losing his or her virginity before the age of 13, a 15 percent increase since 1997, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. According to several surveys, as many as half of teens ages 13 to 19 say they have had oral sex. Other communities across the country are grappling with the problem and are instituting policies that require more supervision and education.
Lexington pediatrician Tom Pauly said his patients are asking him about oral sex and telling him they think it's safer than vaginal intercourse.
"It's a new issue," said Bryan Station Middle Counselor Lynette Schmiedeknecht. "It's more part of the culture, more talked about. It seems that in talking with the kids, they don't consider oral sex (to be) sex. They just think it's something they do as an adolescent."
Dealing with incidents directly and speaking bluntly with middle school students is key to helping them understand the ramifications of their decisions, parents and doctors said. Damage to reputations and illnesses are two of the dangers.
"We advise them to abstain," Pauly said. "We talk about medical complications and the psychosocial complications of engaging in oral sex at such a young age."
After Jessie Clark Middle students talked about the popularity of oral sex with an assistant principal this spring, principal Steve Carmichael said: "We invited two moms to come in and shared our concerns. It wasn't a conversation as awkward as you might think. We would rather overreact than underreact."
The issue isn't a routine part of sex education classes, officials said.
Mike Kennedy, acting health education coordinator, said that until 1990, the district had a sex education curriculum. But now, site-based councils at each school are responsible for deciding what kind of sex education is dispensed, he said.
Seven middle schools offer programs that teach abstinence only, Kennedy said. Other schools cover sex education in health classes. But Kennedy said he doesn't think oral sex is discussed anywhere as part of the middle school curriculum.
At Beaumont, principal Mowery said the quick intervention -- writing to parents -- was successful. Parents responded to meetings about how to discuss sexual issues with their children. And as the year progressed, counselors and administrators had fewer kids talking about the parties.
Only a small minority of students have actually had oral sex, Mowery thinks.
"Ninety percent of our kids," he said, "make good decisions in every aspect of their lives."
Yes. We can be happy to have out children listen to him. What a leader! What a man! Thank God for George Bush. You're right about this, Yend. We are so lucky to have W--as the repudiation of clinton.
I seem to remember reading that the rates of gonorrhea (sp?) of the throat has skyrocketed in recent years.
That would certainly make sense.
If anyone wants info on STDs, here are a couple of useful sites. The photos of the STDs are pretty scary. BTW, the genital warts are really something. They have to burn off the warts.
http://pages.nyu.edu/~smh5965/main.html
http://www.sexeclinic.com/index.htm
Of course it is. Same here. And the best thing we can do is set a good example for them. Interestingly, this also serves the purpose of making us rise to the best we can be, and we can thank our children for catalysing this.
I'll never forget the time I first saw my son display, in public, the most beautiful manners. I couldn't believe it. He had silently taken in all my teachings and examples, never showing any sign of paying attention. And here he was--standing for adults, "Yes, Sir," "No, Maam"--the essence of courtesy, kindness, and thoughtfulness. You could have knocked me over. Was that the same kid?
I think they absorb our values (or lack of them) like that.
I often surprised myself with what I taught my children. Because I wanted most of all to give them my highest truth, it sometime surprised me to realize just what my highest truth turned out to be--yet one more reason to cherish and be eternally thankful for children.
Boy, talk about stereotyping. Sex is a gift from God. Any Christian woman that doesn't enjoy this gift is missing God's intentions for her. There is nothing (that both spouses agree to) that can defile the marriage bed.
There is always Dr. Elders recommendation: spankin' the monkey!
Yukkkkkkkkkkkkkkk!
The school sluts began their lives of dabauchery as early as the end of 6th grade. Most of these girls are being raised by single moms and/or are latchkey children.
Thank God for the "Life Teen" program at our parish--I know I can count on them backing hubby and I up as we try to teach our daughter the virtues of modesty and purity.
Which is one reason (among several) why many real Christians are having a tough time staying with the Presbyterian Church.
How beautfully stated. I know I am a much, much better person as a result of being a father. I know I can't teach them pure and good things if I can't strive every day to attain that standard myself. That children make us so much better must assuredly be part of God's plan, no?
Hey, hey - we're on the same page. I wouldn't call abstinence safe sex, but I promote it and applaud it.
Four students, treated for tonsillitis caused by gonorrhea, attributed their conditions to so-called "head parties," Omar said.
Of all the posts here on this thread, I have yet to see this question come up: Where are they getting the STD's from? The diseases don't just show up on their own accord. Its not the sex act that causes the spread of the STD, its a sex act with an infected person. Performing oral sex doesn't cause gonnoreah of the throat, performing oral sex on someone with gonorreah does. Some of the middle school-aged children must be having sex with much older people. That is the only way to explain how STD's have started affecting kids who are 13 and 14 years old.
I wish you the best of luck. You may be several pages ahead of the Catholic Church.
I didn't say that adolescents should be encouraged to have sex, only that they should learn about sex. That may help them to avoid unintended consequences of unsafe sex like pregnancy or STDs.
Just like the people in white trash trailer park from which he came. The cheif differnce between Chinton and the others is Clinton has his original teeth.
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