Mead School District Adopts New Sex Education Program
After three years of work, Mead School District has settled on a sex education program which encourages parents to be the primary sex educator, teaches abstinence and avoids controversial opinions on homosexuality.
The program, approved by the school board Tuesday, is designed to give Mead’s ninth graders a balance between “strategies for not being sexually active … with knowledge about reproductive systems and condoms,” said John Keith, Mead School District spokesman.
To do that, a 20-person committee took the unusual approach of writing a custom program. Another sex education curriculum that had been developed in 1992 by a previous, rancorous committee was thrown out and the new committee started from scratch.
The committee looked at a wide range of sex education packages, including the controversial Teen Aid, which was thrown out by Washington school officials.
“We feel we probably developed one of the best sex ed curriculums for this age group anywhere - far better than one we could have purchased,” said committee leader Marguerite Busch.
The fundamental difference between the new curriculum and the previous is a demand for parental involvement, according to Keith, a committee member. In one unit, students will be assigned to interview their parents about their views on dating, relationships and sex.
“I think they can feel confident that they know what their kid is getting and there are no hidden agendas,” said Sally Davis, a member of the committee.
The course, according to committee co-chair Bruce Densler, a physician, approaches sexual development from a medical as well as psychological perspective.
Students who are questioning their sexuality are given information, but are also encouraged to talk to counselors, parents or ministers.
Homosexuality, the most controversial area for the committee, is presented carefully. When teachers are asked questions, “the appropriate response is: experts from many areas (scientific-biological, psychological and behavioral, and theological) have differing opinions, no definite answer exists,” the program teacher’s guide says.
The committee was “very diverse” and members clashed over topics like homosexuality during the three years of debate, according to Busch.
As curriculum was developed, it was placed in public libraries, schools and copies were sent out on request. In the final vote, only two members cast nays.
“This is routine tonight,” said Mead superintendent Bill Mester before the board meeting. “Two years ago, it would have been a real exciting board meeting.”
, DataTimes