Beyond the Call of Duty: A Qualitative Study of Teachers’ Additional Responsibilities Related to Sexuality Education

Seven focus groups were conducted with sexuality educators in Minnesota to explore ways that teaching sexuality education differs from teaching other health education content and to determine if additional supports or resources are needed for sexuality educators. Teachers described many specific additional responsibilities or concerns related to sexuality education, including a) interacting with parents, b) interacting with administration, c) addressing students’ personal concerns, d) managing sensitive information in the classroom, and e) developing and updating lesson plans. Findings suggest that Minnesota teachers often go above and beyond their usual responsibilities to provide quality sexuality education for their students, both in and out of the classroom.