Colorado abstaining from $500,000 in federal sex-ed money

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Colorado officials this year are rejecting nearly $500,000 from the federal government for programs that teach "abstinence-only" sex education, saying the teaching tactic is ineffective when it comes to preventing teen pregnancies and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.Friends First -- an organization that was started by Longmont and Denver residents nearly 15 years ago -- will be among the four groups whose budgets will be affected by state health officials' decision.Rebecca Descalzo, marketing director for Friends First, said the group is disappointed the state has forgone the money that has helped fund programs that encourage youths to engage in "healthy behaviors" by abstaining from sex, alcohol and tobacco.In the past, the federal government had provided up to $60,000 annually to Friends First. The group still has other funding sources, including other grants, donations, tuition paid by teen-agers attending summer conferences and money earned by selling curriculum, Descalzo said."School districts already teach comprehensive education in the classroom," she said. "This is an after-school program that is optional. Otherwise, kids are home alone after school waiting for parents to get home. We're trying to prevent all high-risk behavior."But state officials say abstinence-only education isn't working."There are clearly a group of adolescents who are sexually active," said Ned Calonge, chief medical officer for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. "Abstinence is the best way to avoid teen pregnancy, but that isn't to say that abstinence-only education has shown to be effective."Calonge said the state will be passing up about $488,000 from the federal government this year."We don't believe that we should spend federal tax dollars on something that is likely ineffective," he said.A study ordered by Congress that was released last April showed that students who took part in sexual-abstinence programs were just as likely to have sex as those who did not. Also, those who attended one of the four abstinence classes that were reviewed reported having similar numbers of sexual partners as those who did not attend the classes.And they first had sex at about the same age as other students -- 14.9 years, according to Mathematica Policy Research Inc.Colorado is now among 14 states passing up money from the block grant program for abstinence-only education known as Title V, which provides $50 million annually for such programs. Participating states then provide $3 for every $4 they get from the federal government.The money had provided funding for the Weld County Health Department, the Grand Junction-based Fact Foundation and the Center Consolidated School District in the San Luis Valley, as well as Friends First.Because Colorado is a "local control" state, it's up to local school boards to set curriculum. A new state law, however, requires schools that teach sex education to include scientifically accurate information about contraceptives.Boulder Valley schools have long provided "comprehensive" sex-education lessons that cover contraception. The neighboring St. Vrain Valley School District uses a "directive abstinence" model, with contraception addressed only in terms of failure rates and no "safe-sex" messages allowed.(Contact Boulder Daily Camera staff writer Brittany Anas at anasb(at)dailycamera.com.)