Dissolution of Tennessee's Percentile Rank Sex Education System and Suggested Improvements to Tennessee's SB 3310 Legislation

Abstract

Sex education has varied throughout history and continues to evolve in response to societal change and sex education research. In the modern era, American sex education varies according to state mandates. In Tennessee, the most current sex education legislation that was released is Senate Bill 3310. The bill was signed by Governor Bill Haslam on May 10th, 2012 and since then has been amended many times with new additions or clarifications due to things like unclear word choice (“State”, 2020). Senate Bill 3310 is the first ever abstinence-centered sex education in Tennessee creating a bridge for Tennessee sex educators between abstinence only sex education and a more comprehensive sex education. In this thesis, I analyzed the major components of SB 3310 and found literature that offers societal, sociological, psychological, or statistical support to include additional facets of sex education currently not included in Senate Bill 3310. Additionally, I analyzed the percentile rank sex education system and rallied for the justification of its removal.