Back to Policy and Advocacy; Past Controversy Reports
Curriculum Changes Reversed
Frederick, MD
SIECUS reported in November that the Frederick County School Board changed the definition of abstinence in the district's curriculum in order to remove the reference to marriage. Abstinence was originally defined as "appropriate behavior before marriage." Although several Board members voiced their discontent with the removal of marriage from the definition, the board ultimately voted 6-1 to adopt a new definition that stated "abstinence from sexual intercourse is a healthy, safe, and responsible decision for adolescents," and that "there are consequences to becoming sexually active."
Approximately two weeks later the Board reversed its decision and adopted a new policy that instructs teachers to "identify abstinence as the surest way to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases and as the appropriate behavior for students." It goes on to state that "the ideal in our society is abstinence until marriage." This policy also advises teachers that, if questioned, they should "emphasize the importance of delaying sexual intercourse until [the student is] in a position to take responsibility for children, which is best done in a stable, two-parent family." Proposed language instructing teachers to "note that once they [students] are adults and no longer within the jurisdiction of the school system, they are free to make their own decisions" was not adopted in the new policy.
The reversal was made after "angry public response," much of which, according to Board members, came from people who do not live in Frederick County. One Board member who supported the decision to remove marriage from the definition of abstinence received an e-mail stating: "I hope your daughter catches AIDS from having sex before marriage." Another Board member received an e-mail stating that "she should be burned at the stake."
The Board also revisited the idea of instituting an abstinence-only-until-marriage sexuality education course. The initial proposal to replace the district's abstinence-based program with an abstinence-only-until-marriage course was rejected in October on the basis of Maryland state law which requires that contraception be taught in schools. At the request of several Board members, the president asked the district's curriculum specialist to find out if it was legally possible to offer an abstinence-only-until-marriage course in addition to the existing abstinence-based program. The president warned, however, that even if a dual-track system is legal, the district might not be able to afford to offer it. SIECUS will continue to monitor this controversy.1,2,3
Astinence-Only-Until-Marriage Curriculum Questioned
Lubbock, TX
The Lubbock County Youth Commission would like the Lubbock Independent School District (LISD) to replace the abstinence-only-until-marriage sexuality education program currently offered with a comprehensive sexuality education program. The teen pregnancy rate in Lubbock County remains the highest in the state and is almost 10 percentage points greater than the statewide rate for Texas. Lubbock County also has the highest teen rate for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in Texas. The Lubbock County Youth Commission feels that a comprehensive sexuality education program would reverse this trend.
Texas state law requires abstinence be taught as the "preferred choice of behavior for unmarried people of school age." Schools are allowed to teach about contraception but are not required to do so, and they may not distribute condoms to students.
The topic of sexuality education has raised mixed-reactions within the community. LISD officials defend their abstinence-only-until-marriage approach to sexuality education, while others have challenged the effectiveness of the district's sexuality education curriculum given the county's high rates of teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. The president of the LISD School Board pointed out that the policy is consistent with Texas Medical Association's recommendations, which state that abstinence is the "best way for teen-agers to avoid pregnancy and STDs."
Local teens made certain that sexuality education was discussed at length at a recent Teen Town Hall Meeting. The Town Hall panel, which included local students, School Board members, government officials, and other community leaders, was sponsored by the Avalanche-Journal as part of the Make Kids Count 2001 campaign. Teen audience members persisted in questioning the panel about the LISD sexuality education policy even after the student moderator "tried several times to end the questions about sexuality education." In reference to the high teen pregnancy and STD rates, a teen leader of the Lubbock Youth Commission asked the panel, "How is the LISD going to combat this? What are they going to do to save the lives of Lubbock youth, who are the future of this community?" The Mayor of Lubbock responded to another teen's inquiry by saying that sexuality education "is a very controversial issue. It will be dealt with and some time in the very near future. To what degree, I don't know."4,5
Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Curriculum Questioned
Polk County, FL
An official from the Polk County Health Department addressed the School Board regarding the high teen pregnancy rate, especially among youth between the ages of 10 and 14. According to the official "every two weeks, a child between the ages of 10 and 14 gives birth in [Polk County].…And this only includes those (pregnancies) that actually result in a birth."
The official did not make specific recommendations about actions the School Board should take to remedy the situation, and the School Board made no changes to the sexuality education program, "preferring to stick with the message that students should refrain from sex to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases." One School Board member stated that "as far as the policy of the curriculum is concerned, I'm not ready to say we need to change ours. In Polk, being that it's the center of the Bible Belt, it's really hard to talk about anything but abstinence." The School Board chairman claims that although the issue is important, financial constraints have kept it on the "back-burner."
The Polk County Health Department offers contraceptives, health care, education, and counseling to area teens through the Responsible Adolescent Planning (RAP) program. Yet, few teens are aware of the services. A registered nurse who works with the RAP program said that they are prohibited from providing services in the school unless "an individual client's mother requests that a nurse come in and talk to her child."6
References
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