Commonwealth of the Northern Marina Islands Sex Education Snapshot
In 2012, the Hawaii Youth Services assisted the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CMNI) in receiving their first Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP) grant. This grant allowed the Public School System (PSS) to begin implementing evidence-based, culturally responsive curricula in each middle and high school. Students receive sex education three times during their education: once during grade 6, once during grade 7, and once in high school. Although parents and guardians must consent to their children receiving sex education curriculum, advocates report that the number of parents who refuse consent has declined. They also report that sex education is becoming increasingly accepted as a necessary component of a student’s education. To further advance sex education curriculum, advocates report that increased training, technical assistance, and evaluation support would be beneficial to educators. The PREP grant that the PSS receives is set to end in 2020 and the school system is eager to find additional funding to replace it.
State Profiles provided by SIECUS: Sex Ed for Social Change. For more information regarding your state’s sex ed policy, visit https://siecus.org/state_profile/u-s-outer-territories-profile/
