Many debates, many players: controversies over sexuality education during the 2003-2004 school year.In this election year, people have been focused on national politics, the presidential campaign in particular. Local politics, however, often play the largest role in sexuality education decisions in schools. In recent years, opponents of comprehensive sexuality education have gained ground by funding and implementing abstinence-only-until-marriage programs in communities across the country. Their success may, in part, be based on their willingness to focus on local politics. Ralph Reed Ralph Reed may refer to:
The following legislatures exist in the following political subdivisions: Supporters of comprehensive sexuality education have at times limited their focus to the larger players such as the federal and state policymakers. As this article will demonstrate, this strategy may be a miscalculation mis·cal·cu·late tr. & intr.v. mis·cal·cu·lat·ed, mis·cal·cu·lat·ing, mis·cal·cu·lates To count or estimate incorrectly. mis·cal , as it is often the local players who make the decisions regarding sexuality education across this country. During the 2003-2004 school year, parents, teachers, school boards, students, and outside organizations played major roles in controversies over sexuality education in communities across the country. These controversies continued to point to a debate between abstinence-only-until-marriage programs and comprehensive sexuality education as communities work to decide the best methods of teaching young people about their sexual health. SIECUS SIECUS Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States documented more than 140 controversies in 35 states. Texas had the highest number of controversies in a single state with a total of 18 debates that ranged from disagreements about a Gay-Straight Alliance to a boycott of Girl Scout cookies by an anti-abortion group. Many different voices can play important roles in influencing a school's sexuality education policy and program. Some players, such as parents, teachers, school boards, and students are directly affected by sexuality education and their roles in making decisions are, for the most part, expected and clear. For better and for worse, however, other players are becoming increasingly involved. Advocacy organizations and legal groups, such as the ACLU ACLU: see American Civil Liberties Union. and the Pacific Justice Institute, are heating up community battles and impacting local decisions. PARENTS SPEAK UP Whether they are expressing outrage over what is being taught or anger with what is not, parents have historically been the most vocal players in sexuality education controversies. Obviously parents have an important stake in their children's education and a right to make decisions about what their children should and should not be learning in the classroom. In this context, it is definitely true that "the squeaky wheel The squeaky wheel is the central concept in the bon mot "It is the squeaky wheel that gets the oil." or "...gets the grease."[1] The "squeaky wheel" may be any problem, irritant, or other attention-getter. gets the grease," as the saying goes. Classroom Topics Questioned During the past year, many parents, concerned with what their children may be learning, have worked to restrict the information their children receive in the classroom. Whether they believe that their children should learn only about abstinence abstinence: see fasting; temperance movements. , disagree with Verb 1. disagree with - not be very easily digestible; "Spicy food disagrees with some people" hurt - give trouble or pain to; "This exercise will hurt your back" topics being taught such as family diversity, or question the details of a classroom discussion, some parents are not shy about letting their opinions be known. Several parents in Bristol, CT went so far as to consult with an attorney about lessons taught in the local middle schools. The parents argued that lessons about abortion taught in the "life skills" courses were in violation of state law. One parent explained, "Bristol is in violation as far as what they're teaching about abortion as an alternative to family planning family planning Use of measures designed to regulate the number and spacing of children within a family, largely to curb population growth and ensure each family’s access to limited resources. ." (2) The materials in question discussed the history and legal status of abortion as well as the safety of abortion. The objective of the chapter was to make the student "able to demonstrate the ability to define and discuss pregnancy options to include abortion, pro-choice, pro-life, adoption." (3) According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. Connecticut law, "The curriculum guides shall include, but not be limited to, information on developing a curriculum including family planning, human sexuality This article is about human sexual perceptions. For information about sexual activities and practices, see Human sexual behavior. Generally speaking, human sexuality is how people experience and express themselves as sexual beings. , parenting, nutrition and the emotional, physical, psychological, hygienic hy·gien·ic adj. 1. Of or relating to hygiene. 2. Tending to promote or preserve health. 3. Sanitary. , economic and social aspects of family life, provided the curriculum guides shall not include information pertaining per·tain intr.v. per·tained, per·tain·ing, per·tains 1. To have reference; relate: evidence that pertains to the accident. 2. to abortion as an alternative to family planning." (4) The parents wanted to have portions of the curriculum discussing abortion removed immediately and to be involved in future curriculum decisions. The school argued that the course in question is not a requirement and that parents may choose to remove their child from the class. To prevent such an incident in the future, the school recently re-notified parents of the lessons being taught and reminded them of their right to remove their child from the classroom. Parents in Venice, FL, voiced similar disapproval of the sexuality education curriculum used in the school's Life Management class. The parents were upset about the distribution of condoms, the use of "abortion videos," and demonstrations of condom 1. condom - The protective plastic bag that accompanies 3.5-inch microfloppy diskettes. Rarely, also used of (paper) disk envelopes. Unlike the write protect tab, the condom (when left on) not only impedes the practice of SEX but has also been shown to have a high failure use utilizing a banana. (5) One of the parents explained, "We would like this harmful curriculum removed from our school so our children can grow spiritually as well as academically." (6) The parents ended by saying the curriculum goes against "Venice values." (7) School officials agreed to review the curriculum. Books Pulled From Shelves Parents also restrict classroom information by working to ban books that they deem "unacceptable" and "inappropriate." Books were banned throughout the country this year. A mother of a 15-year-old at Todd Beamer High School Todd Beamer Campus is a four year secondary school located in Federal Way, Washington within the Federal Way School District. The school opened in September 2003 and is named after Todd Morgan Beamer, a passenger aboard United Airlines Flight 93 during the September 11, 2001 in Federal Way, WA, for example, became upset after reading a portion of a novel assigned in her son's ninth-grade English class. Ironically, the book, Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, focuses on censorship during the Cultural Revolution in China. The passage in question deals with a character's first sexual experience. The mother felt this was inappropriate subject matter for high school students so she and five others gathered 32 signatures on a petition and took their complaints to the school board. Myra Batchelder Community Advocacy Manager SIECUS New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of , NY |
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