Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2007 • Board hears report from family life committee on abstinence-only sex education

Publisher’s note: This story originally appeared in the Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2007 edition of the Lassen County Times.

Per California Education Code 59134, abstinence-only sexual education curriculum is not to be taught in Lassen High School health classes or in any California public high school.

During a Tuesday, Nov. 13 meeting of the Lassen Union High School District Board of Trustees, head guidance counselor Karen Spence said the district “must (teach) other medically accurate information on other methods of preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease.”

“So that’s required by law,” Spence said.

According to Senate Bill 71, which was signed into law Oct. 1, 2003, becoming effective Jan. 1, 2004. The legislation unifies sex education and HIV/AIDS prevention statues, by replacing 11 separate laws scattered throughout the education code relating to sex education and HIV/AIDS prevention with one new chapter covering all the requirements related to both subjects. In 2006, the district changed its policy to reflect the changes in state law.

The district teaches abstinence is the only 100 percent way to prevent HIV/AIDS and unwanted teenage pregnancy and has to provide medically accurate information on other methods of preventing pregnancy and STD’s.

Board Trustee Dr. Hal Meadows said, “We were blindsided by this.”

Meadows said he wanted the item on the agenda because parents need to know about the major changes.

“Because we were teaching abstinence only, but the state says we can’t do that,” he said.

He said the option is to teach birth control methods with a strong message in abstinence or not teach birth control methods at all; the board is set to make a decision during it’s Tuesday, Dec. 11 meeting.

Meadows said the thought crossed his mind to not teach birth control at all, but said he is not necessarily against the idea of teaching it, either.

He said there are good teachers who are teaching the health classes.

The district offers a one-semester mandatory health class for freshmen. The class is required for graduation and addresses health issues students face or will face throughout their lifetime. Within the class is a family life education discussing abstinence and HIV/AIDS.

During the meeting, Spence gave a report on a family life committee meeting. The committee consisted of board members, student representatives, a pastor and a representative from alternative education.

The committee wrote a letter addressed to parents regarding the class. The letter is passive, meaning parents must sign it only if they do not want their child participating in the class.

In the past, parents signed the letter if they did or did not want their child to participate in the family life unit.

Failure to return the slip automatically results in the student participating in the family life unit.

The letter also tells parents the district is required to provide medically accurate information on other methods preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.

The district will be using “Positive Prevention” curriculum provided by the American Red Cross.

Parents are to be notified at the beginning of the semester regarding classes in which the human reproductive organs, their functions and processes are described, illustrated or discussed.

All written or audiovisual materials to be used during the instruction will be available for inspection by parents or guardian. Parents are invited to review the class materials from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the district office located at 55 S. Weatherlow St.