school board letter
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School
American Military University *
*We aren’t endorsed by this school
Course
220
Subject
Communications
Date
Jan 9, 2024
Type
docx
Pages
3
Uploaded by LieutenantBook10922
Dear Parents and Community Members,
I hope this correspondence reaches you in good faith. As we approach the forthcoming
school year the discussion of the implementation of a comprehensive sexuality education curriculum in our educational institutions has been in the air. I would like to take this opportunity to address the concerns raised by several community members and parents. It is vital to recognize the variety of viewpoints present, and I want to assure you that we have diligently considered the welfare of our students and the needs of our community. The decision to implement the "All About Me," "Changing Bodies," and "Taking Care of Our Bodies and Minds" curricula, tailored for elementary, middle, and high school students respectively, stems from our dedication to ensuring the safety, health, and education of our young population. We acknowledge that conversations about sexuality education can be delicate, and we greatly value the significance of involving parents in this decision-making process. Additionally, our choice is influenced by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) position paper, a credible source that highlights the essential nature of
comprehensive sexuality education from an early age. The increasing number of pre-teen and teen pregnancies within our community, along with recent sexual harassment incidents across all grade levels, emphasizes the immediate need for establishing preventive measures to tackle
these problems.
The Title IX review conducted to address these issues strongly advised introducing a comprehensive sex education program as early as preschool. We assert that early education is vital for creating a secure and respectful atmosphere for all students. By offering age-
appropriate information, our goal is to enable students with essential knowledge and abilities required to make well-informed choices regarding their health, relationships, and overall well-
being. Many of you are concerned that the elementary students are too young to be burdened with this information or believe that they are too young to comprehend what they are being taught, there is also fear of showing the violent side to sex as they think it will corrupt their minds, concerns about promiscuity being supported and lastly there are concerns about tools that we may utilize such as social media. All these concerns are valid and considered with solutions already in place.
Elementary students are usually at the most curious stage of their life as they have a vague
understanding of most things and so they tend to ask a lot of questions. In the sexual realm of things, they may ask questions such as how did I get here? or they may ask why can’t others touch my privates? And much more. While parents do well sometimes at imparting knowledge, I think a comprehensive sexual education program can answer these questions accurately in a comprehensible manner that is still innocent to their nature. According to warren McNab the author of Advocating elementary sex education, sex education attempts to make sexuality more understandable to young people and helps lay a factual groundwork to be incorporated with parents feeling and values. The article also addressed the fact that many parents don’t address this subject due to embarrassment and some lack the necessary knowledge as well not realizing that knowledge is the best antidote to counter this fear. Many don’t pay attention to the fact that attitudes toward sex start at a young age and to mitigate negative attitudes we must establish a positive understanding.
A 2010–2012 nationally representative survey of adults found that approximately one in three (36.3%) women and one in six (17.1%) men reported experiencing some form of SV during their lifetime, with 19.1% of women and 1.5% of men experiencing completed or attempted rape and 13.2% of women and 5.8% of men experiencing sexual coercion at some time in their lives. Among women who have been raped, 41.3% first experienced that rape before the age of 18 and an additional 36.5% were first raped between ages 18 and 24
(
Smith et al., 2017
). These alarming statistics underline the dire need to implement, evaluate, and scale up primary prevention
which starts in our schools. So, while it may seem violent if students get an understanding of the behaviors that lead to this, they can mitigate it which will
result in a decrease in these rates.
let’s address the issue of promiscuity, based
on the studies that have been conducted as mentioned above, it was concluded that the problem-based learning approach is very suitable to be implemented in sex education programs for adolescents, especially to increase awareness of the dangers of promiscuity. There are five stages of the problem-based learning model to encourage learners to solve problems, namely: 1) orienting learners to problems; 2) organizing student learning; 3) helping learners solve problems; 4) assisting learners in developing and presenting problem-solving results; and 5) analyzing and evaluating the problem-solving process (Safitri, Y., & Nurhayati, S. 2023).
This would ensure whatever idea students had of promiscuity would be addressed and if they decided to participate how they would protect themselves from diseases or other factors that were not factored in. another study
Teaching about contraception was not associated with increased risk of adolescent sexual activity or STD
. (
Kohler, P., Manhart, L. E., & Lafferty, W. E. 2008)
so the concerns of teens taking part in sexual activities based of what they learn doesn’t influence them to take
part in these acts but how to protect themselves if they make that choice themselves.
As stated earlier we have been sued for the mistreatment of individuals from the LGBTQ+ community due to discrimination and harassment from other in multiple ways social media being one of them. However, with anything that is use for bad we can recycle it and use it for good and this has been proven through a study in which it states that the marginalized communities, such as queer, trans, and racialized communities, have historically faced discrimination in state-based sex education. However, they are now utilizing social media as a
tool to improve their well-being, share experiences, and raise awareness about sexuality. This commentary provides examples of how these communities are benefiting from social media for their liberation and education on sexuality.
Manduley, A. E., Mertens, A., Plante, I., & Sultana, A. (2018).
It is crucial to acknowledge that our objective is not to supplant parental guidance but rather to support it. The curriculum serves as a valuable resource for parents, allowing for transparent and sincere discussions on these critical subjects. We encourage parents to familiarize themselves with the materials, attend informational sessions, and take an active role in their child's education. As we work towards cultivating a nurturing and inclusive academic environment, it is important to consider the lasting benefits of comprehensive sexuality education. Research consistently demonstrates that such programs lead to improved decision-making, decreased rates of unplanned pregnancies, and heightened awareness about consent and respectful relationships.
School board president
Jalen Wright
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