Sex Education Program
Spring 2025 Instruction
Students in grades 6 through 12 will have age-appropriate sex education topics as part of either their health education or social studies courses. These are taught either the first or second semester depending on your child's class schedule.
For spring 2025, these students are schedule to receive this instruction:
- Students in grades 6, 8 and 9, who are enrolled in a health and personal fitness course for the second semester will receive sex education lessons based on the scope & sequence of courses. A parent packet will be sent home with students in grades 6, 8, and 9 on January 7, and parents will also receive a telephone call.
- Students in grades 10, 11, and 12, who are enrolled in a social studies course for the second semester will receive Human Trafficking Awareness lessons.
Parent Curriculum Review Session: Spring 2025
A parent curriculum review session will be held on January 14, from 5:30 p.m. to 6:45 p.m., in the boardroom of the school district’s
central office, located at 150 Williams Road, in Statesboro. Choose Session 1 from 5:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. or Session Two from 6:15 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. Individual review appointments are are also available.
Parents and guardians may choose to opt their child out of the unit prior to instruction. An opt out form
is available in the parent packet you will receive, on the online parent toolkit or from your child’s school.
Why Does Bulloch County Schools Teach Sex Education?
Students receive sex education as part of Bulloch County School's overall health education curriculum. We are committed to an abstinence-based curriculum which focuses on teaching students to set goals, understand boundaries, and keep themselves safe, online and in person.
Classes are single-gender (boys with a male instructor and girls with a female instructor) and will be taught either first or second semester depending on the specific schedule of your child's school. All grade levels will participate in a pre and post survey designed to assist with the continued improvement of our curriculum and instruction. Topics covered in the Sex Education curriculum differ based on the appropriateness for each grade level.
Instruction about Human Trafficking awareness and prevention will also be included during this 10-day health unit. This is a state mandate for all students in grades 6- 12, but is especially important because Georgia has a high percentage of human trafficking. During this training, students will learn the risk factors and protective factors for Human Trafficking.
Parents Can Opt Their Child Out of Instruction
Before choosing to opt your child out of instruction, we recommend that you attend an upcoming Parent Review Session. No pre-registration is necessary. At these sessions, parents have an opportunity to review the approved curriculum prior to instruction and learn more about the topics that will be taught. No registration for the session is necessary. This is for both our Human Trafficking and Sex Education lessons.
Parents also have the right to opt their child out of sex education. An opt out form is posted on this website. Parents also have the right for their child to participate in instruction, but may choose to opt them out of the pre and post survey that is given to students as part of the lessons.
Key Points About the Program
These are key points to know about Bulloch County Schools' sex education program:
- An initial district committee formed in February of 2019, collaborated with the Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health at Georgia Southern University to choose course topics and curriculum, which are based on national and state health education standards.
- A Sex Education committee meets annually to review proposed updates and revisions based on data from teacher and student surveys.
- State law and Bulloch County Board of Education policy now require implementation of a sex education program.
- The sex education program is for grades six to nine and focuses on sex definitions, sex violence prevention, and preventative health measures. It does not teach sex choices, gender identity, or sexual orientation.
- Curriculum can be reviewed by parents and an option to opt their child out of the 10-day unit is available.
- Abstinence is the basis of all lessons; however, facts about contraception for the prevention of pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases are provided to students in grades eight and nine.
- The curriculum does not influence values or choices related to sex. Those are the responsibility of the individual students and their families.. If students have questions about topics which are not covered in the curriculum, teachers will refer students to a trusted adult (parent, counselor, school nurse) to have a one-on-one conversation.
- The topics, while sensitive, are meant to give students age-appropriate terms and factual information to help them understand what they are already seeing and experiencing in the world around them.
- If you have questions, email Debbie Sarratt .
Key Contacts
Debbie Sarratt
School Improvement Director
912.212.8566