Sex on the beach: An in-depth situational analysis of school-based sexuality education changes in Florida

Compared with young people across the U.S., Florida youth engage in first sex at younger ages and are less likely to report using condoms/birth control pills at last intercourse. Although school-based sexuality education (sex-ed) is one strategy to address these outcomes, such education is locally determined and inconsistent across the state. Recently, some Florida districts have changed from an abstinence-only approach to a more progressive form of sex-ed. The purpose of this study was to better understand the process of sex-ed curricular/policy change at local levels. We conducted a series of case studies involving multiple phases/data collection methods. First, sex-ed policies from all 67 Florida counties were reviewed to determine if a change occurred in the previous seven years. For each county identified, we conducted a media analysis of local newspaper articles and interviews with key informants. This presentation will provide an overview of the study and a description of methods. Four counties were identified as having recently changed their abstinence-only curriculum/policy: Brevard, Collier, St. Lucie, and Volusia. Based upon the policy review, media analysis, and key informant interviews, we found that Collier changed its sex-ed policy, while the other counties changed curricula. Some changes related to grade level of sex-ed delivery, while others related to sex-ed content. The initiation of change and the roles of key players differed across the four counties. While this multi-phase/method community-based research study presented challenges, our findings provide a model for other state and local stakeholders in examining the process of sex-ed change.