First of a two-part report on sexual education in Guam’s public school system
By Elizabeth Wells
For Triton’s Call
The 2014 National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy report estimates that on Guam there are 48 births for every 1,000 girls age 15-19. This is double the U.S. national average of 24 births, giving Guam one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the country.
Other statistics from the 2013 Guam High School Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) suggest that nearly 60% of sexually active teens reported that they did not use a condom during the last time they had sexual intercourse, 92% did not use any form of birth control, and 98% reported that they did not use both a condom and birth control.
Despite these alarming numbers, sexual health education being provided to students in the public school system is limited.
According to the Guam Department of Education (GDOE) Health Standards and Performance Indicators provided by Paul Nededog, project director of Curriculum and Instructional Improvement, indicator 1.4 for middle schools describes ways to reduce and prevent injuries and other adolescent health problems. The example given for this is to “know that abstinence from sexual behaviors can prevent pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections, and HIV.”
However, the YRBS revealed that 24% of students claimed they were never taught about HIV/AIDS in school.
Kyla Aquino, a local advocate for comprehensive sexual education in schools and founder of the GuamSexEd.org campaign, said she got the idea for her campaign when she attended George Washington High School back in 2004, where she received very limited information regarding sexual health during one week of her health class.
“The instructor appeared to have felt awkward about the subject as the lessons were limited to keywords on the chalk board like ‘vagina’ and ‘penis’,”, Aquino explained. “The lessons and information from the book was limited to anatomy and the negative possibilities of sexual intercourse.”
Over a decade later, it appears that not much has changed.
Kritstian Salvilla, a freshman at the University of Guam, who graduated from Southern High School just last year, had a similar experience.
“I actually don’t remember anyone coming in and teaching us about it,” Salvilla said, referring to sexual education. “I only had one health class and it was mostly about human anatomy, but nothing about sexual health.”
Salvilla also said he was never taught anything about condoms or contraceptives.
On the other hand, Maria Gardeleza, who also graduated from Southern High School in the spring of last year, said she did receive adequate sexual health education that made her fully aware of the risk factors of sex and how to protect herself. However, this was during a parenting class her junior year, which she chose to take as an elective and is not a required class for all students.
According to the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS), Guam applied for, and received both the Title V Abstinence Only Program fund and the Competitive Personal Responsibility Education Program (CPREP) fund for the Fiscal Year 2014. Together these totaled $447,505.
The curriculum for CPREP calls for teaching both abstinence and the use of contraceptives. While the GDOE performance indicators call for instruction on both mental and physical health related to sexual behaviors, contraceptive use is not mentioned in any of the indicators regarding sexual health.
Efforts were made to contact Joe Sanchez, deputy superintendent, as to how these funds were used, but messages were not returned.
Aquino, who has done her own extensive research on teen sexual behavior, also blames culture for the high numbers of unwanted teen pregnancies.
“We allow our teenagers to become teen mothers.” Aquino explained. “For example, a high school student gets pregnant at fifteen and are still allotted a baby shower, or still allowed to live at home and their parents treat them as a child. How can teenagers understand the impact of teen pregnancy and the risks associated with sexual intercourse, if after, the results are celebrated.”
This mentality appears to be reflected in the public school system.
On the Guam Education Board (GEB) Official Website, the site lists its board policies that “detail the operations and procedures that govern the function of the GEB and the GDOE students, teachers, staff, and administrators.”
While no policies are listed regarding HIV/AIDS and STD education or pregnancy prevention, a policy does exist for when students become pregnant. The policy states that the GEB recognizes its responsibility to support pregnant students and encourage them to stay in school.