If you ask Braintree High School students what they learned from health class, many will tell you they learned that you can die from being hazed into chugging too much water. Although health class covered a range of topics including hazing, stress management, and bullying, the lesson about drowning from water chugging is a fan favorite. As glad as I am that no Braintree High School student will ever fall victim to death by hydration, I believe that the health curriculum should revolve around the issues that will most prevalently affect students. One issue that should be addressed in-depth is sexual consent. According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, one in five women and one in 71 men will be raped at some point in their life. According to a 2015 Planned Parenthood Study, 84% of people who took health classes were not taught how to ask for consent. Sexual assaults are far too common, and the lack of education about consent is partially to blame. Braintree High School should do its part in lowering the rate of sexual assault by adequately educating students about consent.

“Relationships” is a topic that Braintree High School’s Health and Wellness Department covers during ninth grade health class. When I took the course, relationships were mentioned, but the phrase “no means no” being briefly stated was the extent of the discussion on sexual consent. Although “no” 100% means no, ending the conversation there causes dangerous confusion. According to Planned Parenthood, 19% of people think that not saying no qualifies as consent. Only telling students that “no means no” makes students believe that silence means yes. Health classes need to clarify that “yes” is the only thing that means yes.

The study also found that most people do not think that consent must be given at each step of a sexual encounter or that someone can change their mind after initiating sex. These misconceptions must be corrected.

The fact that students are not being adequately informed about consent is terrifying. We are sending students into the world without teaching them how to make sure that their actions do not violate others. We are not teaching students how much power they have in deciding what they consent to and what they do not consent to. It is scary to think that someone might violate a partner who did not give consent because they were never taught exactly what consent is. It is also scary to think that someone may be assaulted and think it is their fault for not saying no, because they were never taught that not saying no does not mean they have consented. Braintree High School needs to update its health curriculum so all students know how to give and obtain consent, thus doing its part in decreasing the rate of sexual assault. Afterall, it is much more likely that students will encounter someone pressuring them into sex than someone pressuring them into drinking a lethal dose of water.