May 11, 2026 

Dear Colleagues,

May is a month full of energy and opportunity. Schools are celebrating Jewish American, Asian American and Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and holding space to uplift Mental Health Awareness month in their final stretch of the school year.

May is also Sex Ed for All Month and Youth Sexual Health Month, which creates opportunities to elevate the importance of comprehensive sexuality education in schools.  Research continues to affirm that comprehensive, inclusive sex education matters to student achievement and well-being. But, there is more work to do to ensure all young people have the knowledge and support they need. According to the Oregon Student Health Survey, 16% of students report that their school is not welcoming to students of all sexual orientations, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among young people remain high, and many adolescents still rely on incomplete or inaccurate sources for sexual health information.  

For Sex Ed for All Month, consider joining a webinar or exploring the resources included in this newsletter to deepen your practice and strengthen your approach to comprehensive sexuality education. This month is an opportunity to reflect on how sex education supports mental health, safety, and belonging of all students by fostering inclusive environments, building essential life skills, and equipping young people with the knowledge and confidence they need to navigate relationships, identity, and well-being.

Header photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash, Newberg, OR.

Section illustration by Sex Education Collaborative.

Sex Ed Spotlight

Comprehensive health & sexuality education is mental health promotion

Comprehensive sexuality education is a powerful form of mental health promotion because it builds the skills, relationships, and environments that support student well-being for students and communities. Research consistently shows that high-quality sex education strengthens protective factors linked to mental health and well-being. 

How does sex ed promote mental health?

Students who receive comprehensive sex ed demonstrate increased appreciation of diversity and more inclusive attitudes, alongside reductions in homophobia, bullying, and sexual harassment. These shifts in school climate lead to safer, more affirming environments that are closely tied to lower anxiety, improved belonging, and better overall emotional health.

In addition, comprehensive sex education is associated with reductions in dating and intimate partner violence and stronger foundations for healthy relationships. It also supports prevention of child sexual abuse by helping students recognize boundaries, understand consent and rights, and practice help-seeking behaviors. 

These programs also help students develop life skills that are central to mental health, such as effective communication, empathy, emotional regulation, positive self-image (including body image), respect for others, and a stronger sense of self-efficacy and responsibility for the safety of others. 

Finally, sex education strengthens media literacy, helping students critically evaluate messages about bodies, gender, relationships, and identity that they encounter daily; an important buffer against stress, exploitation, and misinformation in digital spaces.

What can educators and schools do?

Educators and school staff can:

• Work together to integrate their Comprehensive Sex Ed Plan of Instruction with other intersecting initiatives, such as Adi’s Act, Every Student Belongs, and the Student Success Plans.  
• Teach Oregon’s Health Standards that normalize and destigmatize mental health and help students understand how to support their own well-being and that of their peers.
• Teach and model communication and help-seeking skills, including how to talk with trusted adults and access school and community resources.
• Explicitly teach boundaries, consent, and personal safety, including how to recognize and respond to unsafe situations.
• Use medically accurate, age-appropriate language to discuss bodies, puberty, and sexual health in ways that promote dignity and reduce stigma.
• Affirm gender diversity and treat sexuality as a normal part of human development, supporting student identity and belonging.
• Teach the Transformative Social Emotional Learning Standards, building students’ self-efficacy and responsibility, helping them develop confidence in decision-making and care for themselves and others.
• Connect students to youth-friendly health services in the community, including trusted, comprehensive providers.
• Vet guest speakers and external partners to ensure alignment with evidence-based, inclusive, and non-stigmatizing approaches.

Together, these practices create learning environments that support informed decision-making while actively promoting student mental health, dignity, and belonging.

New Sex Ed Open Learning High School Lessons

Ten new high school lessons have been published on the Oregon Open Learning Hub’s Health Group. These lessons explore timely and relevant topics including HIV/AIDS stigma, reproductive health policy and rights, media literacy, menstrual dignity, communication skills, genetics and family health history, and the historical and systemic factors that shape health access and identity. Developed in partnership with Portland Public Schools, Advocates for Youth, and the Oregon Department of Education, these lessons are aligned to Oregon Health Education Standards and grounded in inclusive, student-centered practices that strengthen critical thinking, civic engagement, and health literacy skills. 

Oregon Open Learning Hub’s Health Group

Youth Opportunities

Apply for the MFMC Teen Advisory Board

The Oregon Department of Human Services’ My Future- My Choice Program (MFMC) is recruiting for its Teen Advisory Board (TAB). TAB members collaborate with other teens statewide to develop a youth sexual health leadership project in their community, provide feedback on the MFMC curriculum, participate in TAB events and training, and get support from an adult mentor while serving on the board. 

Teens are paid up to $500 for their participatin on TAB.  Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, so the sooner applications are submitted, the better. The application deadline is June 1, 2026.  Please reach out to Leah.M.Haas@odhs.oregon.gov if you have any questions.

Apply for TAB here

Rev Youth Leadership Program

Applications for the Rev Youth Leadership Program are open for next academic year. Revolution is a year-long leadership program for people ages 14-18. Revolution Teen Council members are trained as peer educators, serving as trusted sources of accurate sexual health information for their peers.

Information and Application