Gee,
who would have guessed?
A Texas high school is in the middle of a chlamydia outbreak, officials say. But according to the school district's student handbook, it does not offer sexual education.
Several students in one Crane, Texas, school district contracted chlamydia, a sexually transmitted disease, according to a letter obtained by ABC News that went home to parents Monday. According to the letter, the surrounding counties were also in the middle of an outbreak.
Here’s what the letter that went home to parents of Crane Independent School District students said:
Dear Parent/Guardian,
Crane Independent School District would like to make our paretns aware or more aware of a problem that has been identified in our teenagers and young adults of our community.
Chlamydia is a sexually transmitted disease that is on the rise. Several cases have been reported. It is a reportable disease that is mandatory to report to the Texas Department of State Health Services. The number of cases reported from Crane and Upton County have been significant. With this being said, we feel we need the parents to be aware of this growing problem and pass along some information regarding the sexually transmitted disease.
The letter then lists facts about chlamydia that the students would probably know already if the school taught sex education.
Chlamydia, the most common STD in the United States, is usually symptomless and can be treated with antibiotics. However, it can cause liver inflammation, pelvic inflammatory disease, and fertility problems. Not that students in Crane Independent School District would know that.
The school does not have a sexual education program, according to Crane's student handbook for the 2014-15 school year, which is posted online.
"Currently, Crane ISD does not offer a curriculum in human sexuality," the handbook says, explaining that if it ever does institute such a program, the parent can opt out. According to the handbook, state law requires more attention must be spent on abstinence than other behavior.
FWIW, Texas also has one of the
highest teen pregnancy rates in the country.