We asked Richardson Independent School District high school students. “What do you want sex education to say to you?”

 To watch the First Place Winning Video CLICK HERE

For more information:

Press Contact:

Terry Goltz Greenberg

website – http://www.ntarupt.org/

November 2, 2011, Dallas, Texas. What do our teenagers think about sex education in our schools? High School students in Richardson ISD just answered that question.

The Guttmacher Institute finds Texas ranks first in the nation for birthrates among 15 to 19 year-olds and fourth in the country for pregnancies among this same age group. A
separate study found Texas has the highest rate of any state of repeat teen births. A staggering 85% of those teen mothers drop out of high school, leaving them economically disadvantaged. It is estimated that teen pregnancies cost Texans over one billion dollars per year.

What are we doing about it? Not much. Texas attorney General, Gregg Abbot recently
refused to apply for a grant for federal funding under the Personal Responsibility
Education Program despite the fact that the grant application was prepared and backed by the U.S.Department of Health and Human Services, a reproductive health specialist at Baylor College of Medicine, the Texas Education Agency, the State Higher Education Coordinating Board, and other nonprofits.The grant would have provided 4.4 million dollars to Texas schools for comprehensive sexuality education.

In response to the refusal of some to act, S.A.Y. (Sound Advice for Youth) What? sponsored a contest to let students tell us what they want. S.A.Y. What? asked RISD high school students to answer the question “What do you want sex education
to say to you?” on film. They told us; and today we announce that Danaya Wattanapan and Bria Jones of Richardson High School have won first prize for their film “What Teens Know About Sex” in the S.A.Y. What? First Annual Juried Film Contest.

View this engaging and frank film on http://www.youtube.com/user/SoundAdviceForYouth.

“About S.A.Y. (Sound Advice for Youth) What?” S.A.Y. What? is a 34-member multi-faith coalition comprised of representatives from religious institutions
and community non-profits united in the mission to provide North Texas families with
comprehensive and accurate sexuality education that emphasizes respectful and responsible loving relationships while preserving the integrity of individuals.