Published on Dec 19, 2013
Sen. Sam Slom said he also requested the materials after hearing from parents, constituents and teachers, but was denied.
"To treat us like children ... I think it's going to have far-reaching consequences," Slom (R, Hawaii Kai-Diamond Head) said. For one, he said he plans to scrutinize UH's budget request before the Legislature.
Not So Pono Choices?
by Sen Sam Slom, SBH News, December 18, 2013
Today, at the Capitol atrium, State Rep. Bob McDermott and I will hold a press conference about the Department of Education's decision to restart the $800,000 UH "Pono Choices" sexual education program.Pono Choices is a teen pregnancy and Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) prevention program funded by the federal Office of Adolescent Health (OAH) and developed by the University of Hawaii at Manoa Center on Disability Studies (CDS).
The DOE halted the controversial sex education program on November 29 to "investigate." The program is aimed at 11, 12 and 13-year-old students teaching graphic information that includes teaching children to put condoms on wooden dildos and pro homosexual behavior.
In the fastest "investigation" in Hawaii history, 2 weeks, the DOE announced the program will restart. The program will also be expanded to 30 more schools because the DOE "affirmed that the curriculum meets department standards, and also showed that Pono Choices is a culturally responsive curriculum that has resulted in positive outcomes for students," said Leila Hayashida, assistant superintendent for the Office of Curriculum, Instruction and Student Support.
Tell that to the parents.
McDermott and I separately requested copies of the Pono Choices curriculum. Both requests were denied. This is taxpayer money. We are taxpayer representatives. This program, and the DOE, is neither pono, nor provides parental choices.
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