Shakopee Valley News - Too much, too soon, parents say of middle-school sex ed - Comments

The parents did receive the

sfiecke — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 12:30:44 -0500

The parents did receive the information. But the letter left out the notification, as it had included in the past. The superintendent apologized for this and said it will not happen again next year.

Perhaps the parents that

ShakoCK — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 10:39:41 -0500

Perhaps the parents that didn't get the notification should start with a conversation with their kids about bringing home their papers! Also, keep in mind this is a public school. For a school that tightly aligns with your beliefs and practices, maybe a private school is an option.

Taking Responsibility for

kmmoskal6225 — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 21:36:21 -0500

Taking Responsibility for your health, Resolving conflicts and preventing violence, growth and development, and communicable and noncommunicable diseases... All those topics all have parts of Human Sexuality in it. Taking responsibility for your health- everything with health is your OWN RESPONSIBILITY including SEX EDUCATION. I feel bad for these 6th grade teachers for they are trying to teach these kids the importance of taking care of their body and the changes they go through and parents are making a big deal out of nothing. I guess parents think if you talk to your kids about sex well they will take part in sexual activities or are afraid of what could happen if they become aware of it, but think about if they are unaware of what is going on with their bodies. I cannot emphasize how important it is to look at the media which promotes premarital sex, these parents shouldn't be blaming their teachers... they should be blaming themselves if anything for not talking with them or for allowing them to watch what they watch on the television. The parents should be happy that a letter was even sent out because some schools districts don't always send out letters.

This is the 21st century where health class isn't about just the human body... it has changed because kids have been acting out in premarital sex, use of drugs, alcohol, etc. We need to educate as much as we can and also respect one another for what is being taught in the classroom.

Hmm, everything the

sfiecke — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 19:05:23 -0500

Hmm, everything the superintendent and parents have said to me is that there was NO notification this year, although there had been in past years. This was for the fourth quarter sixth-grade health class. A letter did go out introducing students to the health class and mentioning its four units, which included growth and development, as well as diseases. Nothing in particular pointed to "sex ed." No one said there were two letters this quarter. Perhaps you mean last year or for a different grade? Or perhaps one teacher did something different?

The superintendent said in the past a permission type letter was sent out. He said a letter that did go to parents this year had been expanded to mention each of the topics that would be covered, but it left out details about sex ed. He acknowledged this error and apologized.

Below I've pasted the text of the letter, which was forwarded to us by one of the parents.

--------------------------------------------------------------
Fourth Quarter means time for Health!!!

Dear Parents,

This letter is to remind you of the 6th grade course requirements. Social studies is a three quarter class and takes place during the first three quarters of the year. Health is a one quarter class, taught by the Social Studies teachers during fourth quarter. All 6th grade Social Studies teachers are licensed to teach health as well. The units covered in 6th grade health include:

• Taking Responsibility for Your Health
• Resolving Conflicts and Preventing Violence
• Growth and Development
• Communicable and Noncommunicable Diseases

If you have questions regarding the curriculum, please contact your child’s teacher. We look forward to a great fourth quarter!

The 6th Grade Social Studies/Health Teachers
Mrs. Gonyea, Miss Greer, Mrs. Klein, and Mr. Otto

I have to completely agree

kmmoskal6225 — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 18:43:39 -0500

I have to completely agree with you! It needs to be taught!!!!!
As a future Health Educator I must say I am rather disappointed . I am a currently a senior at Winona State University majoring in both Physical Education and Health Education. I understand parents get upset because they feel they are in the dark in regards to what is being taught when it comes to growth and development and especially sexual education, but from what I gathered from the article the parents were informed via a letter from the teacher regarding what was being taught. I have discussed this topic with many school administrators and while I understand it is a very touchy subject I feel strongly that it needs to be taught. I wanted to give you some facts, I know that you support sex education in schools, but I can't even imagine how hard it is for you to stand up against parents who disagree with a curriculum you have supported for 20 years. Sixth grade is a young age to be speaking about sex, but it needs to be talked about because some facts that I have gathered from my college career so far support the fact that we need to hit this topic hard in the middle school level because a good number of middle school students are not talking with their parents (regardless what parents say about wanting to be the soul “teacher” about the subject) and are not being taught in school until later grades, resulting into teenage pregnancy. Reality- 3,000 teenagers will get pregnant today and every ten seconds a teenager will get an STD. 12 % of used condoms broke within the last 16 days of use and the biggest statistic that I have researched is that 2/3 of teen parents were either high or intoxicated during the time of conception. Also, Abstinence is a healthy choice and the healthiest choice we can make, but it is not the only choice people make. I am asking as a future health educator; please continue to educate the students about growth and development and sexual education the same way you have been. As an Alumni of Shakopee, I feel I received a high class education that has prepared me to be a quality and healthy adult and future teacher. I hope nothing but the best for the district and that it will continue to provide our youth with the knowledge to make informed and healthy decisions regardless what the topic may be.
I would love to speak to the parents who were upset about it show more stats about teenage sex that is happening even in the 6th grade, it can be embarrassing for these kids to talk about it but they are all going through changes and should never ever feel like they are different because they are going through puberty, it's a normal routine thing for everyone to go through, which is why we need to educate how everything happens to the human body is normal.
These parents are living in the 50's if they think that sex education would be taught the way they had it, Health is changing because the media is portraying sex in everything. Health isn't about anatomy, but it's all about the decision WE MAKE!!! Reality is that some of those 6th grades may already be having sex, it happens and it's a sad thing, but ignoring it would be the worse possible outcome that could ever happen.

There's a pretty significant

shako55379 — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 17:17:45 -0500

There's a pretty significant error in the print edition. It states no letter was sent and that just isn't accurate. We received two letters. One two weeks prior that said the class was to be held and that we were able to review the material if wanted and also had the option to opt out if desired. A reminder came just a few days, maybe a week, before. These sound like parents that simply signed the letter allowing their kids to particpate and then complained when it wasn't what "they assumed" and wasn't exactly to their liking.

This topic will likely always have some controversary attached to it but it NEEDS to be taught. A good article can be found at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1622610 .

The article at the Star Tribune yesterday mentioned these parents were upset that the teachers only taught the biological part and not the emotional or beautiful part of sex. Excuse me, but I really do not want the schools teaching my kids how they should feel emotionally about anything. Giving the facts is what they're good at. Providing a moral compass is for us as parents.

Too much, too soon, parents say of middle-school sex ed

sfiecke — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 22:45:52 -0500

By Shannon Fiecke, Staff Writer

One girl came home from school crying. A boy told his mom he covered his face with his T-shirt so he didn’t have to watch. A child was left confused and shocked by what she saw.

This is how at least a few Shakopee students reacted to their sixth-grade human sexuality curriculum, according to a group of parents lobbying the school district for change.