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By Jayce Price

THE WASHINGTON TIMES

 

Surgeon General €. Everett Koop
yesterday said AIDS education must
start at-the lowest school grade pos-

sible and he suggested that. third-

and fourth-graders could be taught

how to avoid the deadly disease.
Pointing out. that more-than 70

percent of the nation’s 26,500 re-

ported AIDS cases have resulted . that's
from, homasexyal relations, Dr.

Koop said,'*\We need teachers to
teach sex, including homosexuality.”

He said it would not be necessary -

ee

 

_. “In the third grade, you can tell kids that sex

... ean lead to diseases such as AIDS,” the

urgeon general said.

Koop urges early sex education to fi

 

gducation [about the. risk
od in aompe toeme of sexoalite}

wouldn't experiment.”

* Aa for children. in the primary’
grades being taught abate RID
the acquired immune deficiency
ayndrome Sint ag, 3. rsexuall

 

   

gan lead to diseases such as AIDS.”
.. Dr. Koop. said intensified educa-
‘ional efforts —- involving parents
and physicians ~~ are needed to help
control the spread of acquired im-
mune deficiency syndrome, which
has claimed nearly. 19,000 lives.
*That figure is expected to increase

to teach children as young as 8 or 9 anamitte 6; Dr. Kodp’ sai

about homosexuality, as they would. _he-has seen material taught e third- — twelvefald by the end of 1991 — only
. Rotlikely be experimenting sexually. gradersin-some Hechooldistritte that: —_fiye. years from now" he said.

at that time. But, Dr: Koop said,teen- is “wary explicit" dexually. “But if © Dr. Koop's comments, which

agers are sexually active and“tend _ only addressed hetgrosexualityhe came as part of a report to
“ to take risks because they think they —_said. “In the third grade, you can tel! Americans on the AIDS epidemic, a

are immortal. would hope thatteen- kids that sex leade to other thingg<i. report requested in February by
“agers would have so much informa- besides babies.-You can tel them it, President Reagan, were grected

witn some reservations by the sec-
retary of the Department of Educa-
tion and many national and local
educational groups.

“Like most Americans, I believe
children should be taught about the
physical, psychological and moral
consequences of sexual activity,”
said William Bennett, secretary of
education. “A frank description of
the danger of AIDS should certainly
be part of this teaching. But before
teaching a specific curriculum,
schools should get parental: in-
volvement and approval.”

The Rev. Jerry Falwell endorsed
Dr. Kaop’s report.’ “We agree
wholeheartedly, in. the: le grunge gs
analysis, that edugation —~ both-in
the home and in the schoole —-will
be the solution to a problem like
this,” he said.

see ALDS, page 10A

 
 

AIDS

_ From page 1A

“Third and fourth grades may be
too early to be teaching this kind of
thing. But if these other things fin-
formation about heterosexuality]
are being taught that early, informa-
tion about the relationship between
AIDS and homosexuality should also
be taught,” Mr. Falwell said.

Dr. Koop’s remarks sparked con-
cern — and, in some cases, outrage
— from several organizations. “I
find his proposals appalling,” said
Robert Bartleson, executive direc-
tor of United Families of America, a

io sex education in

group opposed.
schools, “It's ridiculous for anyone to

 

“adolescents or preadolescents Rect

shomosexuality.- SE have a -coricern
“that in teaching homosexual: sex,

“you'll see a rise in hamosexual sex in~

-agers,” hé said.

* > George Tryflates, director of gov: :

de to Protect the Family in’ Fallg-:
Church, said: “The cornerstone of:

our organization is that kdd¥ need to

be taught to say no t sex outside of

marriage. So if kids are going to

taught about homosexuality, as the:

surgeon general suggests, they ne
to know it's wrong since it does:
lead to marriage, They. should be
taught the importance of trying to
overcome homosexual tendencies
and not give into them.” .-
American Federation of Teachers.
spokeswoman Jean Whitman said
her organization “supports strong

general education about the hazards.

of AIDS, but it is an issue schools
should be handling individually.

Schools are governed by local gov-
ernments aud mores. And where lo-
cal school boards are adamantly op-
posed to sex education, I wouldn't
see our group encouraging. this kind.
of program there.” ~

. “We say education is an important
part of combatting this ugly prob-
lem. But we have no formal program
for teaching AIDS nor have we come
up with any ifics as to how or
when it shaudd be taught," said How-
ard Carrell, spokesman for the Na-
tional Edgeation Association. “Any
such program needs to be tied in
with the entire community, so par-

ents, health authorities and the com-
munity at large are involved.” :

in his remarks, Dr. Koop said he
believes all those sectors should be
involved in educating the public -—
and children — about AIDS.

Public school officials in the Dis-
trict, Maryland and Virginia said

    

   

Surgeon General C. Everet Koch aves repos ata press conlrence yest

service announcement on AIDS.

a

that sex Geucapon Degin'

 

 

AIDS as part of sex education pro:
grams.

Spokeswoman Janis Cromer said:
sex education in District schools be-
gins in the fourth grade. But she said
instruction concerning homesexual-
ity and bisexuality is delayed until
students reach junior and senior
high school.

Jean Bentley, who is in charge of.
family life programs in Virginia
schools, said AEDS instruction starts
in the seventh grade in the state sys-

tem, “I'm not sure it belongs. in the
third or foug@ll grades” she said.
“Sometimes,. telling children that
young about these kinds of preblems
amounts to scare tactics, whichdon’t

- help.”

Russell Henke, health education
specialist for Maryland public v
schools, said AIDS education also
begins in the seventh grade in
Mary iand. “Possibly we may change
our current guidelines slightly and
move that starting grade down from
the seventh 0 the sixth,” he said.

Mr. Henke said he does not see the
need to start such education in the

‘third or fourth grades, “Chikdren at
that age can understand the concept
of the disease,” he said. “But as far
as going into details about how it’s
transmitted, it’s just too early.”

Dr. Koop said Dr Robert Windom, |
agi assistant secretary for Public
Health Service in the Department of
Health and Human Services, soon
will release information about a
“multifaceted AIDS education pro-
gram he has developed.”

Dr. Koop said his goal wili be to

“reach everyone in the United States

with his AIDS message and that he
is running public service an-
nouncements on television, urging
people to send for a copy of his AIDS

Concerted education efforts must
be directed at blacks and Hispanics,
Or. Koop said. He noted that blacks
represent 12 percent of the U.S. pop-
ulation but account for 25 percent of
all AIDS cases, and that Hisparucs
are § percent of the population. out
represent 12 percent of ail AIDS pa-
tients. He satd that 80 oercent or ail
children with AIDS are black or -is-
 

panic.
Dr. Koop said the AIDS éducation
effort should be a far-reaching pro-
gram — available in all languages.
For those who can’t read, the AIDS
message should be presented in
such forms aa pictures in comic
books, he said.

According to the federal Centers
for Disease Control, 73 percent of
the AIDS cases are homosexual
men, 17 percent are intravenous
drug users, 2 percent are those who
réceived transfusions of infected
blood, 1 percent are hemophiliacs, 1 |
percent are infants born to infected
mothers, and 4-percent are heter-
osexuals, many:from Haiti or east .
Afri¢a, who.have had intimate con-
tact with someone with AIDS or in