Resources For Teachers and professionals

The core of what we do at EyesOpenIowa is serve professionals who work directly with teens. We work with teachers, counselors, school district administration, nurses, direct service professionals, and many others. We love working with such a committed, passionate group of people! On this page, you’ll find everything you need as a professional to improve your skills, gain greater comfort in teaching sex ed, or having sexual health discussions with teens. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, email us.

Classroom Teachers and Professionals teaching Sex Ed

We know teaching sex ed can be tricky and we’re here to help! Whether you are new to the sex ed field or a long-time veteran, here are some resources for you.

EyesOpenIowa is part of the Sex Education Collaborative (SEC), a national collaborative that developed the Professional Learning Standards for Sex Education. These standards provide guidance for educators and school districts about content, skills, and professional disposition needed to implement sex education effectively.
The National Sex Education Standards: Core Content and Skills, K–12 (Second Edition) were developed by the Future of Sex Education (FoSE) Initiative, a partnership between Advocates for Youth, Answer, and SIECUS: Sex Ed for Social Change that seeks to create a national dialogue about the future of sex education and to promote the institutionalization of quality sex education in public schools. To learn more, please visit www.futureofsexed.org.
Iowa Code 279.50 relates to sexual health education in the state. Here are the opening paragraphs, the full mandate is linked here.
279.50 Human growth and development instruction:
1. Each school board shall provide instruction in kindergarten which gives attention to experiences relating to life skills and human growth and development as required in section 256.11. School districts shall use research provided in section 256.9, subsection 50, paragraph “b”, to evaluate and upgrade their instructional materials and teaching strategies for human growth and development.
2. Each school board shall provide age-appropriate and research-based instruction in human growth and development including instruction regarding human sexuality, self-esteem, stress management, interpersonal relationships, domestic abuse, HPV and the availability of a vaccine to prevent HPV, and acquired immune deficiency syndrome as required in section 256.11, in grades one through twelve.
Click here for requirements: https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/code/279.50.pdf
AMAZE is a website that contains an array of short, animated videos that address sex ed topics including birth control, puberty, healthy relationships and more. The videos are fun and teens often find them funny. Amaze videos are developed by experts in the field along with a team of youth ambassadors.
There is an Amaze section developed specifically for educators that contains playlists, materials, discussion guides, parent letters and more. And it’s all free and continually updated.
It is vital to reach neurodivergent teens with sexual health information as they are a vulnerable population. Here are some resources to help with those conversations. EOI’s training department is also here to help. Contact Emily at emily@eyesopeniowa.org.
Sexual health information is important for LGBTQ youth for many reasons, including that they are at high risk for unintended pregnancy. Sometimes, however, LGBTQ teens can feel left out of sexual health education. Here are some resources to help you create a safe space for LGBTQ youth. EOI also offers a free (in Des Moines) sexual health workshop specifically intended for LGBTQ youth.
EOI offers monthly Lunch & Learns where we talk about important and timely topics. All professionals are welcome. Come join us!
EOI’s Monthly Newsletter contains information and resources for those wanting to stay up to date with sexual health information. Click here to sign up.
The EOI Training Department offers regular trainings for teachers and professionals. Click here for our training opportunities.
EOI’s on-demand online trainings for your convenience.
EOI’s Certified Sexual Health Educator program details can be found here.
This kit includes everything you need to get the word out about this important resource—short summary, suggested posts, links, etc.
The Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data Summary & Trends Report provides data on health behaviors and experiences of high school students in the United States. Data highlight students' behaviors and experiences in 2023, changes from 2021 to 2023, and 10-year trends. The report focuses on:
- Sexual behavior
- Substance use
- Experiences of violence
- Mental health
- Suicidal thoughts and behaviors

Counselors, Therapists and Direct Support Professionals

Teens often would like to have sexual health conversations with trusted adults. In your role, you may be the trusted adult for teens. Here are some resources to assist you in navigating those sensitive conversations.

This report provides the most recent surveillance data on prevalent and emerging health behaviors and experiences among U.S. high school students. View the report here.
AMAZE is a website that contains an array of short, animated videos that address sex ed topics including birth control, puberty, healthy relationships and more. The videos are fun and teens often find them funny. Amaze videos are developed by experts in the field along with a team of youth ambassadors.
Professionals may find the Amaze section developed specifically for educators helpful as it contains playlists, materials, discussion guides, parent letters and more. And it’s all free and continually updated.
Teens want and need to talk about porn! It is vital to have healthy discussions around this topic. Here is a resource that provides some age-appropriate resources for professionals.
It is vital to reach neurodivergent teens with sexual health information as they are a vulnerable population. Here are some resources to help with those conversations. EOI’s training department is also here to help by contacting Emily at emily@eyesopeniowa.org.
Sexual health information is important for LGBTQ youth for many reasons, including that they are at high risk for unintended pregnancy. Sometimes, however, LGBTQ teens can feel left out of sexual health education. Here are some resources to help you create a safe space for LGBTQ youth. EOI also offers a free (in Des Moines) sexual health workshop specifically intended for LGBTQ youth, more information is available here.
EOI offers monthly Lunch & Learns where we talk about important and timely topics. All professionals are welcome. Click here and come join us!
EOI’s Monthly Newsletter contains information and resources for those wanting to stay up to date with sexual health information. Click here to sign up!
The EOI Training Department offers regular trainings for teachers and professionals.
EOI’s on-demand online trainings for your convenience. Click here to view our online offerings.
Check out these E-learning modules on racial justice in sex education.
https://www.advocatesforyouth.org/racial-justice-in-sex-education/