School System Seeking Participation in Sex Ed. Program Revisions | Eastern North Carolina Now

     The Beaufort County Board of Education, meeting in its regular monthly meeting March 22, heard an update from the administration on the upcoming changes in the system's sex ed. program, euphemistically called a Comprehensive Health Education Program. The school system is soliciting community participation in designing the revised program.

    Click here to review an earlier article on this story.

    The presentation was an update of what the administration is doing to comply with House Bill 88, passed by the last session of the Legislature. The video below is a clip from the meeting of that update:

    The handouts referred to in the video can be reviewed by clicking here.

    Individuals interested in participating in this process should contact Patrick Abele at 946-6593 or pabele@beaufort.k12.nc.us

    We have requested a roster of the members of the committee Mr. Abele refers to in his presentation and we will make that available to you when it is received. And we'll have more commentary as this issue evolves, but suffice it to say at this point that we think the composition of this committee is critically important. It should not only have legitimate balance but it should be perceived as broadly representative of the various elements of the community that will have an interest in this issue.

    But we would also suggest that the committee needs strong leadership. By that we do not mean group management as much as policy leadership. The board of education should compose a clear and comprehensive charge to the committee. That charge should set the parameters within which the committee is to operate. The board has an opportunity to do that at its next meeting when the policy upon which the Health Education Program is based is presented to the board for review.

    One specific addition that is needed to that policy, because of the provision in the new law allowing for parental "op out," should be a clear statement of expectation by the board that however the "op-out" provision is structured it should be designed in such a way as to allow for a parent to exercise this option without the student being made to feel uncomfortable. That will take some doing. People who really understand teens and peer pressure need to be involved in this aspect. The "sociology" of opting out is very important and should be planned very carefully. The board should insist that this be done.

    A second charge should be that the curriculum should be strictly prescribed and it should be proscribed that a teacher can deviate from that curriculum either in terms of content or activities. If you don't believe us on that one just read this story from Seattle.

    The Board needs to be very attuned to "Liberal creep". That is, exactly what is actually required by law and what is up to the local school system to decide.

    Summation of the issue

    Several years ago the state dealt with this same issue. At the time conservative groups rallied behind an "abstinence only" approach. Since then the liberals (the same ones who have blocked the Marriage Amendment from being voted on and the recent adoption of the "Anti-bullying law" ) have marshaled their forces and pushed through HB 88 with only a slim majority. There approach is to "add" to the curriculum the teaching of birth control. They also want students taught about sexual assault but few have objected to that.

    The real issue--the sleeper in this debate--is abortion. We predict that they will use this "expansion" of the curriculum to nudge the schools closer to teaching students how to get abortions, at least in the sense of presenting it as a viable option for students. That raises the issue of parental involvement in such "education."

    Closely associated with all of this is a national movement to use the schools to teach students acceptance of homosexuality as a viable life-style choice. That is what was really behind the anti-bullying law that was passed. The same groups and legislative leaders are behind all of these "curriculum revisions."

    One of the strategies they are pushing at the state level is to manage the change process by controlling the players involved. That is the reason they dropped the idea of the state requiring a public hearing on the sex ed. changes. That is why they mandated that the materials would be "scientifically based" and "accepted by professionals in the field of sexual health education." The idea is to exclude those who may favor the schools not teaching how to use condoms, how to get an abortion, that homosexuality is fine, and that marriage between one man and one woman is "but one of the choices" students have.

    If you want to know more just Google "Kevin Jennings," Obama's "Safe Schools Czar" and/or GLSEN (Gay. Lesbian and Straight Education Network).

    GLSEN has been working for several years developing "resource materials" to support its homosexual agenda in the schools. HB 88 is but the first step in getting these materials into our students' hands.

    Now you know.

    But from all indications we have a superintendent (Dr. Don Phipps) who is determined to insure that all "stakeholders" in Beaufort County get a chance to participate in what Beaufort is going to teach our students. Thank the Lord.

    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.