When Mike Long began his career as an abstinence educator in the mid-1980s, he was treading on shaky ground.

"I'm thinking 'this would never work,'" he said. "Other teachers said to me, 'Mike, they are going to laugh you out the door.'"

More than 20 years later, the Durham native has developed staying power, a feat he attributes to his "directive" approach.

"It's learning to get onto a teen's level," he said. "What's not going to get through is wagging a finger in the face."

One word notably absent from Long's directive approach is abstinence itself. Long said he doesn't like the word and feels it has negative connotations.

While Long's approach may be spreading — Camden County Schools received a $10,000 state grant in January to implement it — abstinence-based sex education has been the standard in North Carolina for more than a decade.

Nevertheless, a 2005 N.C. Youth Risk Behavior Survey shows that 50.8 percent of high school students have reported having sexual intercourse. Partly as a result of that study, several lawmakers are now pushing for a greater emphasis on disease prevention. A bill that passed a state House committee earlier this month continues to emphasize abstinence, but also requires that educators receive proper training and present information on sexually transmitted diseases.

Officials say the bill is unlikely to cause sweeping changes for local school districts.

"It's not going to be a big change one way or another," said state Rep. Bill Owens, D-Pasquotank. He said language has been added to the bill in committee that would allow school districts to opt out of the more comprehensive approach.

"I'm all for local control," Owens said. "I feel that abstinence is what needs to be encouraged, but local school boards should have the right to decide to do what they believe is right."

C. Michael Warren, superintendent for Currituck County Schools, said instructors already go through training and the standard course of study currently provides information on sexually transmitted diseases in the 8th grade.

"We are comfortable with the curriculum that is in place right now," he said, adding that the abstinence-only approach does not preclude providing information.

Long spoke to a handful of parents at Camden County High School Thursday evening and was scheduled to talk to Camden 7th-, 8th- and 9th-graders on Friday. He said his approach instills responsibility and maturity, but is based around talking and listening to teens rather than telling them what to do.

"I can't help you deal with this issue unless you understand where teenagers are coming from," he told parents.

Long said teenagers face pressure, from both peers and pop culture, to become sexually active. He said the key is making teens understand they have the power not to give into that pressure.

Long also stressed the importance of making teens understand that sex is more than just a physical activity and carries with it social, moral and emotional consequences.

"We're not just a bunch of animals," he said. "We're human beings. We too are responsible."

(Contact Zac Goldstein at

zgoldstein@coxnc.com)