KXAN did a story on the Sex Ed Sit Out Protest here in Austin that was highly misleading. The report makes it seem like we are opposed to programs like LifeGuard, which stress abstinence as the best choice and how to avoid risk altogether. It was also reported that LifeGuard is a provider for Austin ISD. Not true!
The truth is that LifeGuard was removed from the district around 2009 because AISD, under influence from Planned Parenthood, decided to implement comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) instead. Now AISD is introducing a program based on Advocates for Youth's 3R's in kindergarten and it goes way beyond "friendships and anti-bullying", introducing sexual imagery and topics (discussing genitalia) as well as LGBT issues. It later goes on to teach about giving consent to sexual contact. The middle and high school programs use curricula that encourage sexual activity, based solely off whether consent is given. It should be known that we would support having LifeGuard brought back to AISD. LifeGuard teaches sexual risk AVOIDANCE, while the comprehensive sexuality education offered by AISD in grades K-12 teaches sexual risk REDUCTION. All other risky activities (e.g. drug and alcohol use) are taught using an avoidance approach, but not sex ed. Why? Would parents be okay with their kids being given clean needles just so they can shoot up 'safely'? With the prevalance of STDs today, kids are risking their future health and fertility, even when using condoms. Not to mention the negative emotional and psychological effects that come with early sexual activity. This is the reason parents are protesting. Of course, none of this was mentioned in the report. #FakeNews http://www.kxan.com/…/parents-protest-graphic-se…/1135867654
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This month’s meeting was sparsely attended but included a thorough report and presentation by the food services dept. of the District. Once again, the speaker was engaging, knowledgeable and clearly explained the dept.'s current accomplishments. The report included graphs, initiatives, and goals for further directives. Has this type of effort to present relevant information and quantifiable results been made by the District concerning Sex Ed? Why the push to start sex education in grades K-5? Are there a host of elementary school children engaged in sexual activity? What is going on? I shared with the group that the "3R’s," the same program that AISD has used to model its own program after for elementary model, teaches anal and oral sex and the use of dental dams in its middle and high school curriculum (download file linked below for specific examples of what the 3R's teaches)
The program for 12-18-year-olds is simply a continuation of the elementary school curriculum, so can we assume that the elementary program is preparing the youngest students to receive this type of information later? Is that why students in K-5 are being desensitized to talking about their genitals openly and in detail, and being taught how to consent to sexual touch? Is the program being used in K-5 an open door to even more graphic and explicit content in later years? I shared the following Center for Disease Control statistics on STI’s and condom success rates, as reported by the Medical Institute for Sexual Health here in Austin. A nurse from the Medical Institute was present at the SHAC and distributed pamphlets regarding the success rates of condoms based on actual (not ideal) usage. Our kids need to be aware that condoms do not provide adequate protection from many of the diseases out there, and they are still taking significant risk, even when being "safe." She has reached out to school nurses at AISD to make sure accurate medical information is available to the students.
After the meeting, I was approached and told the following by Michelle Rusnak, the person in charge of the new sex ed. 1. AISD does not teach anal and oral sex. 2. Big Decisions, the program that is used for older students, is hardly used and is not the current 2016 version that includes, homosexuality, transgenderism and LGBTQ. 3. Anyone can walk onto a campus and look at the curriculum. 4. AISD has always had sex ed in grades PK-12 . But when I asked her which grades were taught sex ed, she confirmed that they only did the puberty talk in 5th to date. 5. AISD is following guidelines by implementing the new sex ed. These are the questions I asked her: 1. Was sex ed taught in K, 1, 2, etc? No, no, no, the puberty talk in 5th . 2. What guidelines are being followed? No response. 3. Why hasn’t the district been transparent about the curriculum? Well, now it will be out. 4. Will the curriculum be available for an extended period of time for parents to view? Yes. I will be looking into all the information that was shared with me and will share my findings. |