Reflections on Tempe Union High School Board Sex Ed Study Session on February 19, 2014Posted: 2014-02-21 Peggy McClain 2-20-14 Education Action Network
It is a sad situation in TUHSD. If the members of the school board spend as much time researching the proposed curriculum as they do thanking and praising the Sex Ed committee, it will be to the students' advantage.
The Sex Ed Committee is prepared to adhere to national standards and Arizona state standards from January 2012. Why no mention of complying with SB1009 which was passed in April of 2012?
I thought there were no national education standards. Isn't that why we have local school districts? What are the "national" sex ed standards and who wrote them?
Before public comment, Board President Mary Lou Taylor advised us that personal attacks against the board, committee, and anyone present are discouraged. Statements and representation that convey an unjust opinion could result in a presenter being slapped with a civil lawsuit.
Was this statement read because the TUHSD board didn't want to hear that David Schapira, current board member who will be voting on the sex ed curriculum, has received campaign donations from Planned Parenthood? And that Planned Parenthood has endorsed Mr. Schapira in previous campaigns?
Is that why Mr. Schapira left during public comment? I sincerely hope he did not have an emergency in his family and that all is well.
It is interesting that Mr. Schapira's first question to the committee was to ask them if there had been a request from any members of this board for any particular speakers or programs? Ms. Paes seemed suprised and answered no, not to her knowledge. This discourse looked clearly staged.
Back to the threat of a lawsuit, is this a new Delphi Technique? Is this to make the public so scared we don't talk at all? Are they tired of hearing from us?
Board Vice President Sanchez stressed he wanted medically accurate information in the proposed sex ed curriculum. Does he mean he would like the curriculum to mention birth control pills are considered a Class 1 carcinogen? And that a woman who has an abortion increases her breast cancer risk by 44%?
There is lots of medically accurate information, but the sex ed committtee won't be able to find these small details from a Planned Parenthood website. I know, the entire committee sighs when they hear us mention PP. I sigh when I hear the word "comprehensive".
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