Sex Education Laws and Public Schools Sex education is taught in public schools on topics ranging from abstinence and reproduction to sexual orientation and sexually transmitted diseases. Sex education is primarily introduced in grades seven through twelve, although some schools have addressed sexuality topics as early as the fourth grade. The following is a primer on sex education laws and public schools, including the topics typically covered and the ongoing debate about how sex ed is taught. State Sex Education Laws Sex education laws vary greatly among the states. Most states have laws that address some form of sexual education in schools, differing between what may or may not be taught and whether a parent may remove their child from certain sexual education programs with which they disagree. The majority of states allow parents to remove their child or "opt out" of sexually-related instruction, while other states...