Nursing students from the University of Arizona have uncovered a missing piece in the curriculum for Nogales students – sex education.

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Neither Nogales High School nor the two middle schools offer a health education class, the future nurses reported July 14 at the SEAHEC (Southeast Arizona Health Education Center) office. They were presenting their research on teen health in Nogales.

Health education is folded into the physical education (P.E.) classes, said Fernando Parra, principal of Nogales High School. But “we do not have any curriculum guided toward sex education at this time,” he said.

About one-fifth of the P.E. curriculum is devoted to health education at Desert Shadows Middle School, said Principal Joan Molera.

The contemporary textbook called “Teen Health” emphasizes how students can reduce risks to their health and get accurate information, she said.

At Wade Carpenter Middle School, “I do not get into anything about sex education,” said Athletic Director Pat Valenzuela. She teaches P.E. and health education to classes of girls with different levels of maturity.

“I’m sure some parents would support it,” but others would not, Valenzuela said.

Perhaps the county health department could do a presentation and parents could sign permission slips for their student to attend, Valenzuela said.

But Kevin Irvine, health director for Santa Cruz County, said he no longer has nurses or a health educator on his staff.

In the past, the health department got grants to engage young people in discussions about drugs and “a number of things kids are curious about,” Irvine said. He remembers a “teen maze” that posed choices for students.

Nogales Unified School District No. 1 has a board policy that allows NUSD to offer instruction in sex education if it complies with Arizona law. The curricula has to teach about the laws related to sexual conduct with a minor and may offer instruction about AIDS.

To adopt a curriculum, the governing board must hold two public hearings before it takes a vote, according to the policy. Members have to put out all the instructional materials for parents to preview. The board must also create a community committee to offer advice on teaching the subject.

Manuel Ruiz, a longtime member of the NUSD governing board, remembers a public session on sex education sometime in the early 2000s.

“We publicized it,” Ruiz said. “They had the books there for us to look at. At the time, there was a big debate about condoms.”

Parents could sign a waiver if they didn’t want their child to attend the lessons, Ruiz recalled. But he doesn’t remember if the board adopted a policy for teaching about sex.

“My recollection is that they haven’t adopted a curriculum,” said Angelina Canto, currently the school improvement director at NUSD.

A school nurse taught a unit at the elementary schools in the 1990s, Canto said, when she was teaching middle school science. In 2000, she became principal at A.J. Mitchell Elementary School.

Once the state required more standards for graduation and AIMS testing began, “it became an issue of time,” Canto said. “It (sex education) just fell off the plate at some point.”

Once the board adopts a curriculum, the district must obtain a certification of compliance from the State Board of Education, according to the policy.

“Certificates of compliance to teach sex ed are only issued when there are changes to the curriculum,” said Amy Rezzonico, a spokeswoman with the Arizona Department of Education. “Nogales does not have such a certificate on file with ADE.”

NUSD Superintendent Shawn McCollough said, “I would like to see the board and the community involved in the decision about teaching it (sex education).”

Arizona statute R7-2-303 says school districts may offer sex education, but there is no requirement. If they do offer the instruction, it must comply with these guidelines:

• Parents must sign a permission slip for their student to participate.

• Lessons must be taught to boys and girls separately.

• Classes must be ungraded and not include any tests.

• Instructors or any evaluation may not ask any “questions about the student's or his parents' personal beliefs or practices in sex, family life, morality, values or religion.”

• Materials and instruction must be age appropriate, “recognize community standards and sensitivities, and shall not include the teaching of abnormal, deviate, or unusual sexual acts and practices.”

• Instruction should emphasize “the power of individuals to control their own personal behavior” and promote “respect for self and others.” The curriculum should teach, “that it is wrong to take advantage of, or to exploit, another person” and describe, “how to say ‘no’ to unwanted sexual advances.”

• Instruction should stress that:

“Pupils should abstain from sexual intercourse until they are mature adults.”

“Abstinence from sexual intercourse is the only method for avoiding pregnancy that is 100 percent effective.”

“Sexually transmitted diseases have severe consequences.”

• The classes should talk about the financial responsibilities of parenting a child and “promote honor and respect for monogamous heterosexual marriage.”