Georgia’s refusal to participate in a federal survey questioning students as young as 12 about their sexual history is costing the state a chance at nearly $2 million in federal funds for disease prevention over the next five years.
The state has not included the questions from a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey since the 1990s, but this is the first time the federal government has tied participation to $1.8 million in grants aimed at preventing HIV and sexually transmitted diseases. Georgia is one of four states that didn’t include the questions last year.
Gov. Nathan Deal’s office said he was uncomfortable about asking students in middle school and high school whether they use condoms and how many sexual partners they have — even if it means a loss of federal funds.
“Many Georgia parents would object to public schools asking their seventh-grade child these questions, and Governor Deal agrees with them,” Deal spokesman Brian Robinson said. “We don’t think that federal funds for programs should be cut based on the use of these questions, but Governor Deal will refuse federal funds if they come to policies that run contrary to Georgia values.”
That stance has upset some advocates and parents who say Georgia, which has one of the highest rates of HIV/AIDS in the country, is being shortsighted.
In 2011, Georgia reported more than 2,500 new diagnosed cases of HIV — the fifth-highest total among states, according to CDC data. Teenagers accounted for 156 of those cases, said Jeff Graham, executive director of Georgia Equality, a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender advocacy group. In all, more than 40,000 Georgians live with HIV/AIDS.
“It’s really unconscionable that the Department of Education would decide they wouldn’t even apply for those funds,” he said.
The CDC survey is sent to students across the nation, and states can choose what questions to ask. Students are instructed not to include their names and to answer honestly.
Georgia’s students have long answered questions on drug abuse, violence, alcohol use and even suicidal behavior, but the state has drawn the line at the sex questions for at least a decade. It wasn’t until this year that such a stance could risk millions in funds to prevent HIV and sexually transmitted diseases.
Just how edgy are the questions? High school students are asked whether they've ever had a sexual encounter, how many partners they've had, whether they use condoms and whether they drank alcohol or used drugs before intercourse. Middle schoolers are asked a pared-down list that also includes whether they use condoms and how many partners they've had.
Graham and some other health advocates consider the questions basic and not controversial, and they say if the state is going to turn down federal dollars they should be replaced with state funds. Only three other states — Louisiana, Utah and Virginia — didn’t include the sex questions on the teen survey last year.
Georgia hasn’t asked the questions since the mid-1990s, according to the CDC. When high school students in Georgia were sent the survey in 1993, some 66 percent of high schoolers reported they had a sexual encounter and about 30 percent said they had more than four partners.
State education officials, who outlined their opposition in an April letter, said they couldn’t pursue the grants because Georgia “will not be able to comply with the new requirements.”
“There were some sensitive questions that many districts have not felt comfortable having students answer in the past, and we wanted to ensure we got reliable results,” said Matt Cardoza, a spokesman for Georgia’s Department of Education. “And there has always been concern that students would not take some of those questions seriously.”
The CDC says it believes that while a few students may not provide honest answers, most of the students can be trusted.
Karen LeCates, a parent of two teenage daughters in north Fulton public schools, said she fears the real reason state officials don’t want to participate in the survey is because they worry Georgia will look bad compared with other states.
“Politics aside, we all must face the fact that some students as young as 13 — and younger — are having sex,” she said, adding: “Knowing that the federal government will be asking these questions may even prompt some reluctant parents to do their jobs and have ‘the talk’ with their children.”
Advocates say Georgia doesn’t just have a high rate of HIV/AIDS. Its rates of other sexually transmitted diseases and teen pregnancy are significantly higher than other states, too. Georgia ranks third nationally in cases of syphilis and sixth in gonorrheal infections, CDC statistics show.
Said Graham, “Ignoring the problem will not make it go away.
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