EDITORIAL - In recent years we have seen a literal epidemic of illicit sexual activity between minor students and their school teachers. The evidence tends to make me believe that in terms of sheer numbers, this may be an even bigger problem than child molestation by clergy. Why are student-teacher affairs on the rise, and what can we do to curtail the problem?

Solving any problem is easier if we understand why it's happening, and there are a couple of items that should be established before we even get started.

First, please just face the fact that teenagers are going to have sex. Not all of them, but the majority of young Americans will have some form of consensual sex before getting out of high school. The various abstinence programs that have been launched over the years may have lowered the numbers a bit, but overall there has been little effect. In one Texas study, the number of teens having sex actually went up after the implementation of an abstinence program. Oops.

In 1948, the average age at the time of a child's first sexual encounter was 16. Today, after decades of hard work and dedication to abstinence programs and sex education, the average age for the first sexual encounter is... 16. According to the numbers I've seen, by the twelfth grade roughly sixty percent of teens have engaged in sexual activity.

Next, one must understand that this isn't anything new. Students and teachers have been having sex ever since the first Little Red School House was erected on the prairie a couple of centuries ago. Way back then it was a rare occurrence and an object of shame, often dealt with by a shotgun-wielding father and an angry local populace. It was, and remains today, a gross violation of the trust parents put in teachers.

Why has there been a dramatic increase in student-teacher sex?

Much of it can doubtlessly be traced directly to the general moral decline in our culture. There was a time when most people resisted the temptations of their baser natures. Nowadays it seems that we're encouraged to indulge in whatever feels good at the time, and a lot of people are tossing character and morals aside in favor of cheap thrills.

In a few rare cases, even the judiciary has gotten in on the game. When Pamela Diehl-Moore, a teacher in New Jersey, pleaded guilty to having sex with a 13 year-old boy, New Jersey Superior Court Judge Bruce A. Gaeta let her off with probation, stating, "I really don't see the harm that was done here and certainly society doesn't need to be worried. I do not believe she is a sexual predator. It's just something between two people that clicked beyond the teacher-student relationship ... And don't forget, this was mutual consent"

Mutual consent? With a 13 year-old? Pamela Diehl-Moore was 43 when she had the affair. Excuse me for thinking that statutory rape might have applied here. Or maybe child molestation.

Those aforementioned cheap thrills often turn out to be far more expensive than anticipated. Teachers who get caught face punishments ranging from loss of teaching license to spending years in prison. Married teachers who engage in illicit sex often face nasty divorces and loss of child custody rights. The emotional and physical damage to the child can be immeasurable. Loss of self-esteem and ridicule from their peers is bad enough. But then toss in the possibility of pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease as well.

Another factor that may contribute to the problem is the fact that many schools have taken a more active role in sex education. Mind you, I regard sex education as a necessary part of the healthy development of an adolescent. I also believe that sex education should be conducted largely by parents, not by the schools. This should be a private, personal thing between parents and their children. It is unfortunate that child / parent communication is often limited at best on such matters. Many teens are simply left adrift to get their "sex education" from all the wrong sources.

When I was growing up, my school only taught about the biological aspects of pregnancy and childbirth. It was left up to parents to talk to kids about intimacy, relationships, rights and wrongs, do's and don'ts. Nowadays with schools passing out contraceptives to children, an unethical (to put it mildly) teacher can easily figure out which students are sexually active or at least curious about or desirous of sex. It doesn't help that some states do not require parental notification before a minor can get an abortion. The potential exists for a male teacher to get a teenage girl pregnant and then facilitate her abortion. She becomes a toy for a pervert to play with. I am not, by the way, attempting to impugn sex education in and of itself. It is the possible abuse of it that I'm speaking of here.

Add to all of this the reality of child molestation by clergy, Internet porn and convicted sexual predators living in our neighborhoods. America is frankly not a safe place for our children. The prevalence of readily available illegal drugs must also be factored into the equation.

What can we do? First, if you have a teenage child then get off your butt and talk to the kid about sex, okay? It may be difficult and even embarrassing. The child may (and probably will) resist the discussion. Take what action you must to make it happen. And get involved with the school your child attends. Find out what's being taught if your school has a sex education class or teaches about sex in Health or Biology. If you feel that any of it might be conducive to promiscuous behavior then get other parents involved and raise objections. Keep your eyes and ears open for rumors of improper conduct by teachers or faculty.

The teenage years are a difficult time both for the child and the parents. Make sure the communications lines are open. And make sure that you continually earn the trust of your child. Your children should firmly believe that they can talk to their parents about absolutely anything. If they feel otherwise, you have no assurance that your child's life isn't being destroyed right under your nose.