Issue
Veronica, one of my fifteen-year-old students, said her doctor found precancerous lesions on her cervix when she had a pap smear, and she was going to have to have them removed. My reaction was a combination of pity and a sense of horror, first in knowing that this young girl would probably have to be checked by a gynecologist every year for the rest of her life to guarantee she would not develop a cancer that would take her life. Second, a sense of horror came from knowing that we in the educational system had possibly lulled her and other young people into a sense of safety in sex, a nonchalance for which she was now paying. Chlamydia infections in women increased by 5.9% from 2003 to 2004, with South Carolina ranking 4th in the country for this disease. South Carolina also had some of the highest cases of gonorrhea and syphilis reported to the Center for Disease Control.

Using a condom has proven effective in preventing AIDS as well as pregnancy in only 85% of all cases. But even more alarming is the fact that there is a new sexually transmitted killer on the horizon. Sexually transmitted diseases are increasing in number. In 1960, there were only two known STD’s. In her book , Epidemic: How Teen Sex is Killing Our Kids, Dr. Meg Meeker states that “The Center for Disease Control and Prevention consider it a multiple epidemic of at least 25 diseases – nearly 50 if you count the various strains of virus groups.” STD’s are also morphing into more serious forms, and the curable ones are becoming more antibiotic-resistant.

Abstinence is certainly key to STD prevention, as we now know:
* There isn’t any evidence that proves human papilloma virus can be stopped by condoms, nor is there much risk avoided by condom use for many other sexually transmitted diseases to the exclusion of HIV/AIDS.
* All sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS, are more readily transferred to young females due to the fact that the skin covering the cervical ring is not completely mature.

Intervention
This new knowledge is the result of training provided by South Carolina Parents Involved in Education (SC PIE), whose staff is determined to protect our kids by giving them the information that they need to make better choices. With the help of SC PIE and thanks to a $150,000 grant from the SC Department of Health and Environmental Control, a new sex education curriculum, Worth the Wait, is being implemented in the Marlboro County school district. As an indicator of adolescent sexual activity, the teenage pregnancy rate in Marlboro County is significantly higher than the state average (44.8% versus a state average of 34.8% in 2002.) Because of this, the Marlboro County school district was selected for the pilot program.

The first part of this program was to train the teachers. All teachers in Marlboro County that teach 6th - 9th grade human sexuality courses were required to attend a graduate level course on Human Sexuality, followed by training in the Worth the Wait curriculum. This involved 16 teachers from 8 schools across the county. These teachers are currently teaching this curriculum to the 1700+ students in the school district in this age group. This is an interactive curriculum, with powerpoint presentations, videos, and various activities for the students to complete.

Impact
Because teachers like myself are now equipped with information from the SC PIE training, students like Veronica will learn that sex is worth the wait. With the intensive training received, the teachers in this county are better equipped to teach the subject of Human Sexuality.

To measure the success of this program, SC PIE will be working with DHEC to monitor teenage pregnancy rates, out-of-wedlock births, abortions and STD’s in Marlboro County. In addition, surveys will be conducted with adolescents to determine impact on their decisions on abstinence.

Contact:
Margaret Lenhart
Reproductive Health Teacher
Infinity School, Marlboro County School District
1-847-454-2034
mickielenhart@gmail.com

(Student confidentiality – “Veronica” is not a real student name, but a name used to represent a student with the health condition of many South Carolina adolescents/teens)