Battle Ground Public School logo
The Battle Ground Public Schools Board of Directors voted to allow for elective courses that teach components of sexual health education following a previous vote that removed the need for mandatory sex education back in October.
The board voted 4-1 during its Dec. 9 meeting to amend district policy regarding sex education, with board member Tina Lambert as the sole dissenting vote. The actual change adds the phrase “high school elective courses” to the district’s policy statement regarding sexual health curriculum, which also allows for a fifth-grade “human growth and development” course and those required by state law, which currently is on HIV/AIDS education.
On Oct. 28, the board had voted to do away with most of its sex ed following public testimony against adopting a new comprehensive curriculum. BGPS spokeswoman Rita Sanders said following the board’s action teachers who taught the elective courses were unsure of what effects it would have on the courses they were teaching. Some elective classes had components of sexual health education, such as advanced placement (AP) anatomy and physiology, AP psychology and other health occupation classes, which led to the district taking the matter to the board for clarification.
In an email, Sanders noted that prior to the October revision the district had offered an “opt-out” curriculum on sex ed for many years. Following the revision, the district received a number of questions from teachers and parents asking for the potential of that curriculum staying as part of district offerings, at least in an elective capacity.
Though there wasn’t a comprehensive sexual health education course ready to go, Sanders noted the policy change did open up the possibility of an elective course covering the topic. She said any course would require board approval and the district would have to come up with the curriculum. Sanders said there hadn’t been any discussion on whether or not past work on creating that curriculum would be used.
“It’s a possibility, but there hasn’t been (anything) brought forward at this time,” Sanders said.
