About CCSE

The Campaign for Comprehensive Sexuality Education was developed in 2004 in order to unite community members in Champaign-Urbana with similar ideas about protecting youth from unwanted pregnancy and disease through sex education. CCSE is a local coalition of community leaders, teachers, doctors, nurses, health educators, clergy, parents and students that advocate for the implementation of more effective sex education Champaign-Urbana’s schools. CCSE strives to serve as a community resources for parents, teachers, and school personnel who wish to improve sexuality education in local schools.

What is Comprehensive Sexuality Education?

Comprehensive sexuality education ensures that students receive age-appropriate, honest, medically-accurate information about sexual health. Students are taught that remaining abstinent from sexual activity is the most effective way to prevent unwanted pregnancy and disease. In addition, students are given factual information they need to protect themselves and make responsible decisions throughout their lives.

Effective comprehensive sexuality education programs begin as early as kindergarten by introducing age-appropriate concepts of anatomy and body autonomy. This early education is built upon throughout a student’s education and eventually includes topics such as peer pressure, reproductive self-care, sexual identity/orientation, coercive and healthy relationships, birth control and STI information, and processes such as fertilization and menstruation. Comprehensive sexuality education should always encourage parent-child communication about these issues.

What are the State Standards for Sexuality Education?

Illinois health policy requires that sexuality education curricula include information on “human growth and development… sexual abstinence until marriage… [and] prevention, transmission and spread of AIDS.”Accordingly, sexuality education programs must stress sexual abstinence but are not restricted or dissuaded from teaching about contraceptive information. Schools can choose to go above and beyond these standards in order to better prepare their students for the choices facing them.