Box Elder County—Human sexuality being taught in schools is a topic that has many parents concerned. At what age should it be introduced? Should it even be presented in the school? What materials are appropriate for teaching?
All of these questions are addressed by the Human Sexuality Committee. The committee is comprised of parents and professionals and must have as many parents as it does professionals. The committee works under the school board and offers a layer of protection for local control. The purpose of the committee is to approve any new materials that are being introduced into any portion of human sexuality being taught in the schools. This can include: posters, speakers, new books or videos.
I spoke with Darin Nielsen, the new director of Curriculum, with Box Elder School District. He explained that every few years the curriculum comes up for review. It is never stagnant and any changes must be reviewed by the committee before they can be placed in the schools. For instance, in the next year, the science curriculum will come up for review. During this process the school board and the committee will go over any suggested changes and decide whether to adopt them or not. He assured me that at this point they are not looking at adopting the Common Core science curriculum from the national program. Neilson stated that one important change that will be taking place is that parents will be invited to review the curriculum and give input before the vote is placed. This is a substantial change from when the State adopted the language and math curriculum that is part of the national Common Core curriculum. Parents were not allowed to see the curriculum or give input and many parents remain unhappy about the changes that took place. Nielson stated that they are trying to have more transparency for parents so that they have the opportunity to voice their opinion before a vote is cast.
Another big change came with the passing of HB0286. This is a Bill that now allows the schools to teach "safe" and "unsafe" touch to children as young as kindergarten. While this may seem early, Elizabeth Smart, a victim of child abduction and sexual assault, has supported this Bill asserting that children need to know if this happens to them it is not their fault and that it is not okay. Those opposing the Bill agree that teaching safe touch is important but that the wording of the Bill allows too much leeway for teaching other areas of human sexuality besides safe touch. While Utah has not adopted the national core standards many feel this leaves the door open to bring in the questionable material that has been implemented in the national core (an example of this is the book, "Perfectly Normal," which teaches children about sex and is part of the National Core Standard). You can go to UEN.org/core and find out more about what is being taught at each grade level. Education on HIV/Aids occurs as young as third grade; and for some parents, this might cause concern because you cannot teach about how Aids is transmitted without having a basic knowledge of sexual intercourse. Many parents with 8 year olds are not ready to have that discussion at such a tender age. While it is important to educate our children about the dangers of sex, perhaps it is just as important to try and preserve their innocence and to let them be kids a few more years. Sadly, there are far too many children who suffer sexual abuse at the hands of adults and children need to be taught to speak out. On the other hand, many parents feel let's teach safe touch and then leave the rest of the human sexuality for a later day. If you are concerned about what children are learning in school, take the time to get educated. Call your school district and ask questions. Go to UEN.Org and take a look at the core curriculum and most importantly get involved and let your voice be heard.
