Do sex toys belong in ‘comprehensive sex education’ for high school students?

Francis Parker, a private school, is not alone in offering a comprehensive sex-education curriculum that includes discussion of current issues such as consent, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, as well as more traditional instruction in reproductive biology, puberty, contraception and sexual health. Parker says its curriculum supports students in forming “healthy and respectful relationships.” (Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times)

After a secretly recorded video discussing a queer sex ed lesson at Chicago’s Francis Parker School was widely circulated recently, subjecting the school to a torrent of online harassment, school leaders strongly defended its “LGBTQ+ affirming and comprehensive approach” to sexual education.

But the one-time session, which included showing high school students dildos and butt plugs, is raising questions both inside and outside of Parker about the school’s approach to sexual education.