Let’s not talk about sex

Some Scappoose parents object to new sex education textbooks for sixth-grade students

By Cecelia Haack

The South County Spotlight, Nov 19, 2008, Updated Oct 30, 2009 (55 Reader comments)

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On Monday, Nov. 17, the Scappoose school board met in a work session to discuss the supplemental sexuality education curriculum.

“This is not my agenda,” said Superintendent Paul Peterson. “There is a law that we must provide this training and it is my job to make sure the district follows that law.”

Scappoose Middle School is required by Oregon law to have a comprehensive sexuality education curriculum. The current health education textbooks do not meet the requirement.

Sixth-grade teachers have selected “Making a Difference!” from the list of textbooks that meet the state requirements. The current health education textbook, “STARS” does not meet the state requirements of a complete and comprehensive sexuality education text.

The board met in its regularly scheduled public meeting following the work session. The adoption of new comprehensive sexuality education textbooks was also on this agenda.

Five parents signed up to make comments at the board meeting. All five cited the sexuality curriculum as the topic for comment.

Shannon Flanagan was the first parent to speak. He said he had read the entire textbook and was willing to share his information with others.

“Not one of my children will sit through this curriculum,” he said.

His criticisms of the text included it was written for inner-city youth, Scappoose is not an inner city, and role-playing activities asked students to play sexually active heterosexual, homosexual and bisexual students of both sexes.

“This book is out there,” said Kristy Flanagan. She also objected to the role-playing activities in the book.

“This book defines oral sex, vaginal sex, anal sex and masturbation,” said Lisa Maloney.

She objected to the AIDS safe behaviors in the book that include self-masturbation, mutual masturbation, wet kissing and doing IV drugs without needle sharing.

“Our kids deserve better than this,” she said. “We need to protect their innocence.”

“Twenty-five percent of students in the eighth through 12th grade have a sexually transmitted disease,” said Brenda Rafferty, district nurse.

“There is no direct teaching about condoms in these books,” she said. “It’s not condom-mania.”

Parental complaints did not encompass the use of condoms.

Tim Rotter said he was against the curriculum.

“I have five kids,” he said. “I didn’t have sex education and I figured it out.”

“It’s totally inappropriate in the sixth grade,” said Mary Taylor. “Especially in a coed class.”

According to Brad Victor, sexuality education specialist at the Oregon Department of Education, 15-16 percent of eighth-graders are sexually active. Risky behaviors that include drug abuse, alcohol use, tobacco use and sexual activity all increase in the eighth-grade.

“Prevention is easier and more effective to teach than cessation,” Victor said.

The new comprehensive sexuality education textbooks are part of the state’s focus on prevention of risky sexual behaviors.

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