Talking about sex

“The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.”

While it might seem incongruous to quote Star Trek’s Mr. Spock in a discussion of the recent debate over the new sexual education curriculum, the sentiments of the statement do ring true.

For the past several months, a vocal group of parents have spoken out against the curriculum, especially the section that deals with teaching about methods of contraception to eighth-grade students.

These parents have argued that some aspects of the curriculum are contrary to their beliefs, and they don’t want their children exposed to that material.

And they’re right.

Parents should have a say on what is being taught to their children in the public schools, and when they don’t agree with a subject, the school committee should hear their concerns.

However, in this case, the schools have heard the concerns of these parents and crafted a curriculum that allows parents to have a measure of choice when it comes to sexual education.

Like it or not, kids are growing up at a far faster pace than kids growing up 20 to 30 years ago, and that includes a changing attitude towards sex. No one is advocating for kids to have sex at an earlier age, but the reality is it’s happening with younger and younger kids. A fact-based approach that lays out options for kids to protect themselves from pregnancy or disease could go a long way to saving the lives of many kids in the future.

That being said, the curriculum recognizes that some families do not believe in contraception and that sex outside of marriage is wrong. The curriculum addresses those families with a special “opt-out” provision.

At the beginning of each school year, schools will be sending out letters informing parents of the sexual education classes being taught that year. Then, shortly before the class begins, a second letter will be sent home explaining the subject matter in detail. In addition, the school will also host a parent night to explain to parents what their children will be taught.

If parents do not wish for their kids to take part in the classes, they have the option of pulling their kids from the class.

This policy shows that the schools were careful to make sure that every family had the opportunity to have a voice in what their children were being taught and to make sure their beliefs were respected.

For that, the school department deserves praise. But, the school department also needs to be taken to task for the way it dealt with the group of parents who were speaking out against the curriculum.

Last Wednesday, school officials called police to Westbrook High School in an attempt to stop the distribution of leaflets discussing the school committee’s vote on the curriculum that evening, citing a policy that prohibits the distribution of political flyers on school property.

School officials went as far as asking police to arrest the two men, Westbrook parent George Rodrigues and Paul Madore of the Maine Grass Roots Coalition, who were handing out the flyers. Police refused to comply with that request, saying the two men were not breaking any laws.

And that was the right call.

Westbrook High School is a public school, and therefore the land it sits on is public property and the public has every right to protest and hand out leaflets on public property. The First Amendment guarantees that right, and the school department has no right to try and have anyone arrested for expressing their opinion peacefully.

In the end, the school department and the school committee came to the right solution, they came up with a curriculum that deals with an important but sensitive subject, and still gives families the chance to remove their kids from a class that they find objectionable.

What was wrong was they way they arrived at that solution. Instead of trying to silence the protesters, perhaps a member of the school administration or the school committee could have responded to the protesters’ concerns and clearly outlined the reasons behind the changes to the curriculum.

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