ABSTRACT
Currently, one of the most controversial topics regarding adolescent physical health is sexuality. Parents, educators, counselors, physicians, and youth leaders continue to struggle with issues around adolescent sexuality including but not limited to abstinence-only versus comprehensive sex education, the role of schools versus parents in sexual health education, minors’ rights in consenting to receive sexual health services and/or birth control, the role of religion/spirituality in sexual health, communicating with adolescents about sexuality, and our nation’s overwhelming discomfort in talking about sex. The politically charged nature of the topic of adolescent sexual health can be particularly challenging for school counselors and other school personnel who readily observe the developmental changes of middle and high school students and become closely integrated into adolescents’ negotiation of this challenging developmental milestone, but are increasingly meeting roadblocks in how they are allowed to be involved in the life transition of sexual development in their students. Although, states differ in their legal requirements around sexual health education, this chapter can aid school personnel in understanding the issues around adolescent sexual health and then applying the information to their current state’s legal statutes about counselors’ and educators’ roles in sexual health education and counseling. (The Alan Guttmacher Institute has excellent fact sheets on state specific policies on sex education and minor access to contraception, STI treatment, abortion, etc., available at https://www.guttmacher.org/statecenter/spibs/index.html" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">https://www.guttmacher.org/statecenter/spibs/index.html.) Additionally, this chapter will provide information about coordinated school-based health centers as a beneficial addition to school programs that address issues of adolescent physical and sexual health.
