Some R-90 answers

This is in response to a letter to the editor titled “Referendum Questions” regarding Referendum 90.

Referendum 90 is about more than adding sex education in schools, it is comprehensive sexual education for K-12. Currently Erin’s Law requires that all grades PreK-12 are taught age-appropriate techniques for recognizing child sexual abuse and how to tell a trusted adult.

Voting NO on Referendum 90 does not mean that a person is against sex ed and is not a vote against sex ed in schools. It is a vote to allow school districts to retain freedom in what is taught on the topic. OSPI did a survey with about 10,000 responses and 58% of those said NO to comprehensive sexual education, Sue Lani Madsen wrote an article about it in this very newspaper.

The CDC shows that as of 2018 Washington state had the 10th lowest teen birth rate in the country. That is not to say that no more teaching needs to be done; however it does not warrant a hostile takeover of the sensitive subject of sexual education by the government.

Many parents and schoolteachers have researched the material that would be taught to grades K-12 and found it to be inappropriate, some lessons would even use pornographic magazine covers in the classroom. The option to opt your student out sounds good until you see that many of the lessons instruct the children to discuss it with their peers outside of class. You cannot opt out of that.

Brent Mickelson

Liberty Lake