They’re back. The Battle Ground Public Schools’ directors of curriculum are presenting the new proposed sexual health curriculum, and if it looks familiar it’s because it’s the same FLASH program that the community rejected last year. This year’s proposed version contains even more lessons from FLASH, along with the addition of parts of Positive Prevention Plus, and the textbook Essential Health.
Last year, we were told the lessons on gender identity would not be included, though gender language, such as “sex assigned at birth,” does appear in other lessons. This year, gender is included, despite the fact that in the BGPS’s Community Input Survey 93.9 percent of parents said they would opt their child out of self-identity lessons. In fact, 921 of 1,928 respondents said they would opt their child out of some or all of the school’s sex-ed.
It’s not just gender identity, an ideology that is seeing children as young as 8 being put on cross-sex hormones, and girls as young as 13 undergoing double mastectomies. The curriculum undermines parental rights, gives children incomplete information and has them engage in role-playing exercises that desensitizes them to sexual activity.
Children are repeatedly told they can get birth control, abortions and STD testing without parental knowledge. All forms of sex are presented as being equal. There is no mention of the risks associated with oral and anal sex. Children are taught the withdrawal method as a form of birth control because it’s “free and always available” and “more effective than most people think, when used correctly.” Did I mention Planned Parenthood is a big proponent of these types of curricula?
And all the role-playing. Here’s one scenario:
“Stacia and Grace are juniors in high school and have been best friends since the fifth grade. Grace has been with her girlfriend, Brooklyn, for three months and is in love. Grace doesn’t want to have sex with Brooklyn. She thinks that she’s too young to have sex and doesn’t feel ready. Stacia started having sex with her boyfriend two months ago and is pressuring Grace to also have sex.”
Students take on the two roles with the goal of Grace saying no to sex with her boyfriend. Other scenarios include how to ask someone out on a date. My teen was mortified by the idea of acting out these scenarios in the classroom. And is this really what the function of the school should be?
Children need basic, factual information about how their bodies work. They don’t need an agenda-driven curriculum like FLASH. The curriculum is being presented to the board Monday, Oct. 14 at 6 p.m. at Lewisville Campus, 406 NW Fifth Ave., Building C. Citizens are typically given three minutes to speak to the board.
