Fifth graders are having sex.

Am I the only one who finds this shocking? I associate elementary-aged children with kickball, Barbie and playgrounds.

I’m obviously very naive. I was recently watching the news and heard a story about four fifth-grade students who were caught having sex in a classroom while their teacher wasn’t in the room. These Louisiana students’ ages ranged from 11 to 13.

If my teacher left the room when I was in fifth grade, I thought it was living dangerously to get out of my seat and throw a spitball. These students found it appropriate to have sex in front of 10 of their classmates and, as a result, could be facing criminal charges.

I don’t know what could be a bigger wake-up call to America. Why are children having sex so young? Why do children believe having sex during school, especially in front of classmates, is acceptable?

These children are a reflection of the state of the American society. America is extremely over-sexed and ignores the responsibilities of being sexually active.

I realize the idea of waiting to have sex until marriage is seen as antiquated. Although many people choose not to stick to this rule, morals concerning sex are still necessary. If people don’t start to hold themselves to some sexual standard, sexual crimes, diseases and exploitation will continue to run rampant.

Sometimes, Americans get so obsessed with sexual freedom they forget this freedom is accompanied by sexual accountability. Sex has consequences that are being ignored by the American public.

Why were these students having sex in a classroom?

They live in a nation where casual sex is not a rarity. Sex is no longer a bond between two people; it’s becoming a status symbol.

Why were these students having sex in a classroom?

They turn on a television and see hundreds of girls flashing guys on MTV’s Spring Break. They see countless movie stars or musicians who can’t sell their talents so they end up selling their sex appeal.

Although I support creative license, I don’t support television shows or movies using sex for shock value. Sex in entertainment is highly abused. How can the young or old have realistic expectations of sexual experiences when they are not displayed through the media?

I cannot agree with those who say sex is for all ages and all people. I don’t want to see the day where sex education starts in kindergarten.

I worry about these students who were caught having sex before they have even reached high school. They already need sex for attention and approval.

These children were only mimicking what they see in society. If these children are deviant, the American public should also be considered deviant.

Schools and parents need to teach children the emotional consequences of sex. Maybe if people learned to base self-worth on loving who they are instead of sex, the American society wouldn’t be so sexually corrupt.

Marchae Grair is a freshman broadcast journalism major and columnist for the Daily Kent Stater. Contact her at [email protected].