Education Law

Heads up for when the phone rings

Do you ever wonder what triggers that first complaining phone call? Sometimes ?social networks? and other websites that promote grassroots actions get the ball rolling and you won?t ever know what started it.

A video on the Parents for Truth website shows this happening around sex education. The video has a teacher calling a parent about the content of an ?abstinence-plus? curriculum that was introduced in her health class. In the phone conversation, the teacher says the curriculum ?hardly mentions abstinence? and actually ?encourages sexual activity.? The mother gets very concerned, as many parents might, because she was certain that the sex education program would ?stress abstinence? and ?give some information on contraception.?

How can school boards assess what triggers such a call? This might be a difficult task, but schools can at least take the pulse of their community to know what people want taught in the classrooms.

A national poll conducted by NPR, the Kaiser Family Foundation, and Harvard University, which was released in January of 2004 found that only 7% of Americans say sex education should not be taught in schools. In addition, the poll revealed that, in most places, there is little debate about what kind of sex education should be taught. However, this does not mean that all Americans agree on what kind of sex education is best. National polls may actually reveal a belief towards sex education that is not aligned with what a local community thinks.

Additionally, it is important to keep school districts? community stakeholders informed about their sex ed curriculum and allow them to have input.

To learn more about community involvement in school health issues, request a ?Building Community Support for School Health Issues 101 Packet,? and/or contact NSBA?s School Health Programs staff at schoolhealth@nsba.org.

Full post as published by BoardBuzz: NSBA's Daily Weblog on July 23, 2008 (boomark / email).