Conservatively Speaking

"I wonder what kind of sex education courses Tiger Woods sat through when he was a kid"

Posted by Mary Lazich on Dec. 16, 2009 | 0 comments

Legislation

During the 2005 legislative session, I authored legislation that was approved and signed into law requiring that school boards that choose to provide sex education present abstinence as the preferred choice of behavior. 

The law and its intent are in serious jeopardy due to legislation now before the Legislature.

The New Richmond News editorializes against the legislation in a piece entitled, “Local control over sex ed could disappear. I wonder what kind of sex education courses Tiger Woods sat through when he was a kid.”  Here is an excerpt:

“Today’s sex education system in Wisconsin allows local school boards to decide how and when to teach sex education to students. The local school board is given the opportunity to consider community standards and sensibilities when deciding how to proceed.

The proposed legislation (SB324/AB458) making its way toward passage would end the freedom communities have to teach their students the way they feel is best.

Under the state mandate bill, school districts would no longer be allowed to teach an abstinence-only curriculum.

The bill would require instruction in the proper use of contraceptives, opening the door to the possibility that children at the middle and high school levels will witness demonstrations on the use of contraceptive materials.

Also under the proposal, sex education classes will no longer have to teach the benefits of marriage and parental responsibility, as has been done in the past.

The curriculum would not require instruction on Wisconsin’s sex assault and sex crimes laws, which could help to make students aware of the serious consequences of such poor choices.

But the proposal would require non-judgmental instruction on alternative lifestyles and behaviors that some might view as risky.

Inexplicably, the current proposal also will not allow for sex education to be provided to boys-only or girls-only classes. A number of local districts split up the two sexes for such instruction to avoid embarrassment for the students.

Clearly, the proposed wholesale changes in the way Wisconsin conducts sex education are misplaced. It’s time for legislators to back off and allow districts to continue to decide how to provide this important instruction.”

I concur wholeheartedly with the column that you can read here.  Free registration will be required to gain access.