Jan. 16, 2021
Last spring, Mary Jo Podgurski taught her usual sex education course to sixth-graders in Washington, Pa. usual, except one thing: It was over Zoom. Because the kids took the class from home, many of their parents participated as well, so Podgurski decided to include exercises to help parents and children communicate about sex.
“Mary Jo helped me build trust with my mom and classmates so if I have any questions in the future, I feel safe asking,” says 13-year-old Cicely Sunseri, one of the students.
Sunseri is one of many students to take sex education courses online in 2020. With the coronavirus pandemic making in-person classes logistically difficult or canceling them altogether, these limitations have had a silver lining within the sex ed space, educators say. When schools offer sex ed remotely, the options for curriculums, discussion formats and who has access to the classes expand. What’s more, new kinds of classes outside school settings have gained trac
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