By Kim Hilsenbeck.

Talking about sexuality with teens or pre-teens may come natural for some parents. For others, it may present more of a challenge. Either way, Hays CISD organized a series of expert panels in November to get the conversation going.

Called Girl Talk/Boy Talk, these panel-style forums are open to all Hays CISD middle school students and their parents or a trusted adult.

Last spring, the district held its first ever Girl Talk/Boy Talk forums.

According to Katie Campbell, who heads up the district’s Pregnant and Parenting (PEP) program, they were successful. 

She said the forum gives teens a chance to ask questions about sexuality in an anonymous way. It also gives parents a chance to hear what kinds of questions their son or daughter have about sexuality.

Campbell said the goal of Girl Talk/Boy Talk is to get that potentially difficult conversation started.

“It’s a way for parents to find out what their child wants to know more about and a way for families to hear accurate information from a panel of local experts,” she said.

Students and parents can text their questions anonymously to the panel; the experts share their answers with the audience; who asked which question is confidential.

And though PEP staff organized the forums, Campbell said the focus is not just on pregnancy prevention – it’s really about all questions related to sexuality.

At last year’s forums, several students sent in questions about the age at which they would be “ready” for sex.

Campbell said one change from last year’s panel is to hold a separate session for sixth graders beginning at 5:30 p.m.

“There was some concern that the questions asked by older middle school students were more sophisticated,” she said, “so we wanted to offer a sixth-grade only option.”

Parents or a trusted adult with sixth graders can then decide whether to stay for the remainder of the forum with the seventh and eighth graders.

This year’s Girl Talk panelists include Whitney Self, Hays CISD certified health education specialist, Dr. Jennifer Goss with Kyle Parkway OB/GYN, Erica Gallardo, a counselor with Communities in Schools, Rev. Karen Thompson of Metropolitan Community Church and Dr. Jill Humphrey, a doctor at Corridor Primary Care.

Boy Talk panelists include Dr. Roger Pruitt of Wimberley Pediatrics, Paul Goeke from Life at the Well, Eddie Reyes of the Strengthening Relationships, Strengthening Families Program with Texas State University and Zell Miller from SafePlace.

Campbell said last year, most students were with their moms. She said this year, program organizers encourage parents to come together and for dads especially to be with their sons at the Boy Talk forums.

Families are not required to RSVP for the events. Light refreshments will be served.