Belen

Belen Middle School students are being included in a statewide study on the effectiveness of abstinence education.

Parents of the students will receive a letter explaining the study and asking for permission for their child to participate. If the parent does not give permission, the student will not participate in the survey.

“Recently, the New Mexico Department of Health contracted with us to evaluate seven Title V abstinence education programs in the state,” said Sara Stevens of SR Solutions, a professional services corporation in Las Vegas, N.M. “The evaluation project is designed to help identify and better understand all the factors that affect decision-making for middle school students.”

The information from the survey will help school districts to identify the needs of the students and the best way to help them.

“In particular, the study will take a close look at selected programs, to assess their effectiveness in reducing risky behavior, particularly related to sexual activity,” Stevens said. “The student may or may not be enrolled in one of the programs we are evaluating but still is asked to be part of this important study.”

The survey will ask for information that answers the following questions:

  • What is my life like?
  • How am I doing in school?
  • How much influence do my friends have?
  • How do I fee about myself?
  • How much and what kind of adult supervision do I have?
  • What have I learned about abstinence?
  • What are my attitudes about sexual activity and when and if teenagers should have sex?

“The students’ names will not be placed on the survey,” Stevens said. “No data about individual students will even be made available.”

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Jane Moorman