National Sexuality Standards Would Introduce Subject Early

National standards about sexuality, sexual health, and relationships debuted last week and outline topics students should learn, starting in kindergarten, and that they can build on as they grow older.

The standards —an initiative by groups concerned with student health and sex education—are intended to mimic content standards for other subjects, which introduce concepts early in school, based on children's ability to understand them, and then add to them grade by grade until graduation.

"In every other topic under the sun, you build young people's skills—whether it's math or science," said Debra Hauser, the president of Advocates for Youth , one of the groups involved. "You don't have to call it 'sex...