The Broward County School Board is scrapping a proposed sex education that would have drastically scaled back instruction on contraception, HIV/AIDS, and how to prevent sexual abuse in the state鈥檚 second-largest school district.
At an emotionally charged meeting on Tuesday, board members decided the curriculum 鈥� which was proposed by staff 鈥� was a 鈥渄angerous鈥� overreaction to changes in limiting how gender, identity and sexuality can be discussed in schools.
鈥淲hy are we making these changes? To send a message to the state?鈥� said Board Member Sarah Leonardi. 鈥淎re we truly willing to put children in danger to make a political statement?鈥�
Multiple people shared personal stories of how sex ed gave them or a loved one the language to identify abuse, including Leonardi. She spoke about an elementary-aged family member who she says was groped by a boy on the playground and 鈥渋mmediately鈥� told the nearest adult 鈥� using clear, specific language.
鈥淢y family member鈥檚 mother happens to be a nurse who taught her children proper anatomical terms for their body parts from the very beginning. And so my family member was empowered and got the attention of the adults at her school,鈥� Leonardi said. 鈥淲hat we teach matters. And what we don't teach has dangerous implications.鈥�
Whether the lessons are about sex abuse, avoiding an unwanted pregnancy or preventing the transmission of HIV, supporters say comprehensive sex education is critical for the health and safety of young people.
鈥淭hese are important, life-saving conversations that need to happen. And they're not easy ones to have,鈥� said Board Member Nora Rupert. 鈥淏ut when you remove topics like that, what you do is you close the option to talk to young women and young men about these issues.鈥�
The district鈥檚 proposed curriculum de-emphasized physiology, anatomy and lessons on puberty and contraception in favor of an abstinence-only model. That鈥檚 at a time when children across the country appear to be beginning at younger and younger ages 鈥� some girls even before age 8, according to the 鈥� and as are surging in South Florida.
In response to the concerns that the district didn鈥檛 adequately consult with students, educators, medical professionals and stakeholders, Interim Superintendent Earlean Smiley said staff will go back to the drawing board.
鈥淚n line with the feedback that we've gotten from the board and from our constituents,鈥� Smiley said, 鈥淚'm asking the board to allow us to pause.鈥�
Proposed changes prompt public outcry from students, advocates
More than two dozen members of the public spoke about the proposal, including current and former district students, and people who said they are survivors of sexual abuse.
鈥淚n school I was taught more about shame and secrecy than I was about taking ownership of my own body,鈥� said a public speaker named Diamond Delancy. 鈥淚 got my period in third grade and cried because I thought I was dying. I was sexually assaulted in high school because no one ever told me that I could say no.鈥�
鈥淟ack of comprehensive sex ed failed me and these changes will further harm students to come,鈥� she added.
Some public speakers spoke against comprehensive sex ed, saying these conversations are better handled at home. Parents have long had the right to opt their children out of lessons on sex ed.
Under the proposal, staff proposed removing lessons in the earliest grades entitled 鈥淢y Body鈥�, 鈥淎ll Kinds of Families鈥�, 鈥淪exual Abuse Prevention鈥� and 鈥淪exual Exploitation鈥�.
The lessons on sex abuse, which clearly define abuse and provide specific examples, would have been replaced by lessons on 鈥渦nwanted touch." Some board members feared it could confuse students and leave them without the specific language they need to report potential abuse.
Other proposed changes to the sex education curriculum included:
- Removing references to and lessons on HIV/AIDS in grades 2 - 6
- Removing a worksheet activity in 3rd grade designed to help kids define their 鈥減ersonal space comfort zones鈥� and set physical boundaries
- Removing the lesson on 鈥淧uberty鈥� in 4th grade, as well as references to 鈥渟exuality鈥� and 鈥済ender roles鈥�
- Removing the 鈥淩eproductive System鈥� lessons in 5th - 8th grades, which a district memo says will be taught in 7th grade science classes
- Removing the lesson entitled 鈥淏irth Control Basics鈥� in 7th grade and 8th grade and the 鈥淏irth Control Methods鈥� lesson for high schoolers
- Removing references to condoms and masturbation in 8th grade lessons
- Scaling back the 鈥淪exual Violence Prevention鈥� lesson for high schools, including removing a learning objective that students will be able to 鈥渆xplain the rape laws for their state鈥�
- Removing high school lessons on 鈥淕ender Stereotypes & Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Youth鈥� and 鈥淭alking with Partners about Prevention鈥�
New state law prompted the proposed changes to sex ed
The to the curriculum and to the district鈥檚 on Family Life and Human Sexuality were prompted by the passage of the , and a from Florida Department of Education officials that argued that some district policies weren鈥檛 complying with it.
According to district memos, BCPS staff justified the decision to remove the lessons on contraception because 鈥渢he content contradicts Florida Statutes, and which require schools to teach abstinence as the expected standard鈥�.
But state law does not require abstinence to be the only standard, board members pointed out.
鈥淭his clearly went beyond what the state requires,鈥� said Board Vice Chair Debbi Hixon. 鈥淚 think it's very wrong to just completely get rid of contraception.鈥�
The board did not take a vote on the issue at Tuesday鈥檚 workshop. A vote on the curriculum had been scheduled for May 9, though that timeline may be extended as staff rework their proposal.
In the meantime, the district does not have a board-approved curriculum for sex ed, according to the superintendent.
鈥淭hey never brought this [current] curriculum to the board for approval. So we need an approved curriculum,鈥� Smiley said. 鈥淪o we're going to be working with staff, communicating with the state Department [of Education] to see what kind of timeframe we can get to really do the job.鈥�
