Alaska schools have introduced a new program to curb the high rates of sexual assault and domestic violence experienced by teens across the state. “The Fourth R” is a curriculum designed to help reduce teen pregnancy, drinking and violent relationships by teaching young people refusal and delay skills which experts believe is particularly useful in combating peer pressure.

This type of education is important for Alaska’s teens since the state usually has the nation’s highest per capita rates of sexual assault and ranks in the top five for domestic violence, according to Lori Grassgreen, director of prevention projects for the Alaska Network on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, who helped develop the program. “The Fourth R” was created ...