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Save Sex Ed in our Schools!
Next Wednesday, January 14th at 7pm the Portland School Committee will take public comment on the superintendent proposal to change how the Family Living Program is implemented. The Family Living Program instructor for 4th and 5th grade would be moved to a full time Health class at Lincoln Middle School. Classroom teachers and school social workers would be utilized to help implement the training but its been admitted that some of the curriculum may be lost in the transition.
Next Wednesday, January 14th at 7pm the Portland School Committee will
take public comment on the superintendent proposal to change how the
Family Living Program is implemented. The Family Living Program
instructor for 4th and 5th grade would be moved to a full time Health
class at Lincoln Middle School. Classroom teachers and school social
workers would be utilized to help implement the training but its been
admitted that some of the curriculum may be lost in the transition.
The
League believes youth deserve access to quality health and sexuality
education and instruction supplied by their local schools.
Already,
Maine has taken bold positions to be a national leader in comprehensive
sex-education and public health protection. Governor Baldacci boldly
rejected Title V funds that would require schools to administer
abstinence-based education. We are the 5th lowest state in the country
for teen pregnancy rates. Teen sexual activity has declined 45% in the
last twenty years and 27% in the last ten years.*
The quality of
education Portland youth receive from the Family Living Program will be
diminished if the program is altered as proposed. The program is
administered independent of the other school curricula because it was
determined that this was the best way to reach program goals. Our
community has confidence in the public health education program when
trained instructors teach it.
What Maine youth need is
comprehensive, quality, fact-based sex education. By limiting or
freezing the Family Living Program for funding reasons, we are
retracting from the progress we have made over the past few years.
How to make a difference:
-contact your District and At-Large School Committee members to let them know you want to protect Family Living
-join The League at Wednesday night’s School Committee meeting and give public comment
-contact
Jenna or Katie if you need more information or help writing testimony:
207.772.3207 - jenna@theleague.com - katie@theleague.com
*”
2006 Report on Maine Teen and Youth Adult Sexual Health”, Kathryn Brown
et al. Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2006.
Link to press herald article:
“Proposed cut renews sex education debate”, Elbert Aull, Press Herald 1/2/09.
