Confusion

From Horns of Jericho Blog, June 15, 2015

Soon after the Board of Education announced a meeting to revisit the issue of the sexual health curriculum, it appears that liberals and progressives are trying to pull a fast one to try to undo the Board of Education’s previous “opt-in” policy.

The two documents in questions regarding the meeting can be found here (meeting exhibits) and here (memo regarding sexual education curriculum).  The Board of Education has previously indicated their wish to keep the opt-in policy for sexual education curriculum.  This was echoed in a memo to board chair Don Horner proposing a policy where:

“…A student shall be provided with sexual health instruction only if the student’s parent or legal guardian provides prior consent. …”

While these changes, referred to as policy 103.5 are consistent with what many of the faith-based community are advocating for, it is directly contradicted by exhibits offered as a supplement.  The exhibit version of the proposed policy 103.5 states:

“A student shall be excused from sexual health instruction only upon the prior written request of the student’s parent or legal guardian. …”

The discrepancy between the two documents creates an open door to flip to the dreaded “opt-out” policy.  Whether the discrepancy was intentional, it poses a grave risk to the work of community members and like-minded legislators who sought to protect parents and families by compromising to a policy of “opt-in”.  While it would be reasonable for parents to believe that this fight is over, that does not seem to be like the reality.

With the confusion shrouding tomorrow’s (Tues June 16, 2015) Board of Education meeting, parents must once again show up to the meeting to defend against aggressively liberal sex education programs like Pono Choices.

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Related: Is "Safe-Sex" Education the Reason Behind the Drop in Abortion in Hawaii?