Should sex education be implemented in schools?

Con

An interesting topic, Should be fun. You leave the topic somewhat open, So I'm not sure where to start. In my area of the world, Sex education curriculum in general is accepted. The things you mention are not controversial, And I will not argue against them. Then there is the controversial stuff: gender identity, Sexual preferences, And the age and manner in which children are introduced to sexual content. I think that these things could be taught in school, But only according to certain ethical guidelines. Here are some of the guidelines.

(1) The No Harm Principle: if the sex education leads to student harm, It should not be taught, If the sex education leads to student well being, It should be taught. Most people assume the latter always occurs, And the latter should be endorsed. I agree. Some possible examples: if a person didn’t know that vaginal sex could lead to pregnancy, And the curriculum taught them this, And led them to avoid this result when they don’t want it, Great. Or, If a person who is uncertain about their sexual preference hears about the options in a fair way, And this helps them live out their preferences, Great. But, The opposite case is possible, Where harm comes from sex education. Some possible examples: if a person would not have otherwise tried oral sex because the person was not inclined to do so, But being exposed to the idea inclined them to try it because it was normalized, And they didn’t really want to, And didn't like it, That is bad. Or, If a student hears about the possibility of being either male or female, And this sends them into confusion for many years before finally realizing they were their original identity all along, And wish they had not been exposed to that idea, That is bad. I presume both positive and negative results could occur, So I prefer the opt-in model that I will discuss below.

(2) The Intellectual Diversity Principle: the sex education should describe all the common views held by the public in that area, Not prescribe a particular ethical/political doctrine. If some of the public population thinks homosexual relations and transgender identities should be fully supported, And some of the population thinks they should not, Then this is how the topic should be taught in school. If some of the population thinks that sex prior to marriage is problematic, Others think sex without love is problematic, Other cultures endorse arranged marriage, Others think marriage is bad entirely, Then these views should be expressed at age appropriate times without 'taking sides'. Too often, The sex eduation takes on an an ethical/political agenda which is not appropriate for a public school.

(3) The Consent Principle: the sex education should endorse consent, Which means that they should not have a goal of forcing students to learn about sex education as taught through a particular ethical/political lens. But, The goal should be to teach sex education to students who give informed consent to being taught this. This includes: telling the students/parents what will be taught in coming days and allowing the students to not attend if they wish, If a student/parent is uncomfortable, Then the teacher should stop and have a discussion about it, If a student/parent disagrees with what is being taught, Then they should stop and have a discussion about it, Etc. . .

(4) The Descriptive Principle: the sex education should be descriptive, Not prescriptive. This means the sex education describes what is the case, Not what ought to be the case. This would make sex education more about biology and less about espousing an ethical/political agenda.

5) The Opt-In Principle: the student/parent must intentionally place themselves in the sex education environment, Not default to receiving the sex education. The common manner of teaching sex-education is an opt-out principle. That is, The sex eduation is being taught to the whole class at a certain time, And if you want to stay home, You can. But, To maximize the consent principle and the no-harm principle, An opt-in principle should be endorsed. This means that a parent/student has to intentionally place themselves in the class and time where the sex education is being taught. And, If they do not do so, They will not receive sex education. Possible ways to do this include: elective classes at a high school level, So the student opts-in to the content; parallel units being taught, Where the student/parent can attend either the sex education unit, Or the world religions unit or the computer programming unit, As all are being offered for the student to choose. This model is more similar to the consent required in sexual relations anyway, Where continuous and enthusiastic permission should be sought, Not just 'well, If you don't say stop I guess I can keep doing what I want to you'.

Anyway, This is a start to the debate. I'm not sure where you stand, So feel free to riff off any issue you are interested in.