New Superintendent Knocks it out of the Park on the Social Studies Controversy | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Jury still out on the sex ed. issue

     The current controversy in North Carolina with the social studies curriculum was a focus of attention at Monday (2-22-10) night's School Board meeting. Three community members addressed the board in the Public Comment section on the agenda and the Superintendent, Dr. Don Phipps addressed it in his Superintendent's Update.

    The controversy has been an on-going one in Beaufort county, long before it boiled over at the state level. Over a year ago Commissioners Hood Richardson and Stan Deatherage raised issues about what the content of a quarter-million dollars staff development program contained. After several tries the school system eventually responded at the December 8, 2009 Commissioners meeting. You can read a summary of that event here. We have published a number of other articles on the issue and they can be reviewed in our School News Section.

    In one of the more recent articles we reported that the State has sent the controversial proposal back to its writing committee and they are expected to report a revised version this spring.

    The speakers last night urged the School Board to take a leadership role at the state level in shaping the final outcome of the social studies curriculum.

    Chris Cayton spoke to the necessity for valid standards (the term used by the state to identify the content of the curriculum, i.e. Essential Standards). Cayton advocated for providing a strong foundation in both civics and the high school U. S. History courses of the founding principles of early American history. You can hear her comments here.

    David Worth made a presentation on behalf of the Beaufort County Constitutional Studies Committee recommending that the board use a participatory process that includes various stakeholders in answer the questions: "What should our student know about American history and how well do they now know what they should know and how are we going to assess how well our students are learning this essential knowledge going forward?" He offered the Committee assistance in working with such a panel. You can hear his comments here.

    Donna Lay, a recent candidate for the Washington City Council and the chairman of the Beaufort County Republican Women's Club spoke in support of the Constitutional Studies Committee's seminar The Miracle of America. She indicated she had just completed the seminar and recommended it as a staff good development resource for social studies teachers in particular, but said everyone could benefit from what it teaches about the founding of America and our Constitution. You can hear her comments here.

    As is its practice, the Board did not respond to any of the presentations.

    But during the Superintendent's Update section on the agenda the new superintendent Dr. Donald Phipps addressed the issue. Here is what he had to say: here.

    The reference Dr. Phipps makes in the video to "House Bill 88" is another curriculum initiative that comes from a legislative mandate to revise the sex education curriculum to include teaching students about contraceptives, among other things. What Dr. Phipps is saying is he is proposing to use a similar process to select the sex ed. materials that will be used in the mandated curriculum as he is proposing to do with the social studies curriculum, that is, seeking community involvement in both issues.

    Commentary

    Superintendent Phipps hit this one out of the ball park, on both counts: the social studies issue and the sex ed. issue. His approach is to get broad-based community involvement in both issues before decisions are finalized. We think that is a commendable idea and we are glad to see Dr. Phipps take a strong stand that he believes the fundamental principles upon which our nation is based should not only be taught in high schools but that we the curriculum should seek to develop an appreciation of these principles. We heard nothing of the sort from the State Superintendent and DPI officials.

    We agree with Dr. Phipps that most people in Beaufort County will easily agree on what should be taught in social studies and what should be learned by our students. But that is not likely to be true with the sex ed. thing.

    State officials are banking on the "opt-out" provision in which a parent can choose to have their students not take part or all of what is eventually taught in "healthy living" classes. But that is a farce. Anybody who know high school teens knows the last thing they are going to stand for is to be ostracized by their peers for having to "leave the room." That is smoke and mirrors.

    We were also rather astounded in the rationale Director of Learning Services Patrick Abele gave for the justification for the new sex ed. changes...that surveys found that parents did not want to deal with the issue with their children and favored the school doing it. We don't think that is true; either that parents don't want the responsibility or that they favor the school teaching students to use contraceptives. And when the abortion issue rears its ugly head school officials will find out parents are not laissez faire about this.

    No this change at the legislature was pushed by the same people who pushed through the mandate that schools adopt policies to provide special protection to homosexual students. Take out the votes of those legislators and HB 88 would not have passed.

    We suspect Dr. Phipps understands this and that is why he wants community involvement in the decisions that finally are implemented. And he is very wise to take that approach.

    He staked his position on the importance of students knowing the founding principles of our nation. That was indeed encouraging and refreshing. Had he been State Superintendent when this came down there would have been no headlines on the new social studies curriculum.

    He has yet to take a strong stand on what should be taught on sex ed. We await that. But we would suggest at this point that the "study committee" should give careful attention to how to implement the "opt out" provision, with a keen understanding of and appreciation for "peer pressure."

    But so far, Dr. Phipps, you've done good. Thank you for a breath of fresh air and leadership.

    Delma Blinson writes the "Teacher's Desk" column for our friend in the local publishing business: The Beaufort Observer. His concentration is in the area of his expertise - the education of our youth. He is a former teacher, principal, superintendent and university professor.
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