Action on Saline Sex Ed Curriculum Pushed Back for More Teacher Feedback

Board of Education action on new sex education curriculim for 4th-8th graders has been pushed back to get more teacher feedback.

The proposed new sex education curriculum was outlined by Heritage School assistant principal Cameron Cochran and Kristin Hoffman-Peaver at Tuesday's Saline Board of Education meeting. Cochran and Hoffman-Peavler are chairs of the Sex Education Advisory Board.

The proposed curriculum replaces material that dates back from 2000-1010. It includes lessons on sexting and sexual assault. Terminology shifts from traditionally understood terms "boys and girls" to new language about "persons with penises" or "persons with vaginas."

The proposed curriculum is 10 years in the making. Three different advisory boards had have played a role in developing the curriculum.

Hoffman-Peavler has served on the last two boards and noticed the same curricula continue to be discussed.

"I think that's a testament to the curricula we were able to review," Hoffman-Peavler said. "The work this committee did was a springboard off the previous committee. We were able to say 'here are the things the previous committee had narrowed to,' which spurred us on."

To hear the the presentation the curriculum, see the video below.

The presentation took nearly 90 minutes.

Opt Outs

State law requires school districts allow opting out of sex education curriculum.

Trustee Susan Estep asked about opting out and how the district would prevent stigma for children opted out of the lessons.

Cameron Cochran agreed with Estep that consistency between buildings will be key. He also said families who opt out will be offered access to information.

Hoffman-Peavler said the curriculum is based in modules. So parents can review the curriculum and say, "Day 3, I want my child to be out."

Communicating Questions

Board President Michael McVey invited parents with questions to email the board (sasboard@salineschools.org).

"I will definitely make sure the appropriate people on the SEAB get those questions," McVey said.

McVey said he hoped to the board would take action on the curriculum at the Sept. 24 meeting - a position that changed once the board learned about concerns of teachers.

Mixed Classrooms?

Julie Kelly, a fifth grade teacher, asked if girls and boys are going to be taught together.

Cochran said that question has not been answered yet and expects it will be answered at the building level about "whether we will be teaching in mixed-gender classrooms or same-gender classrooms."

Estep said the issue of mixed-gender or same-gender lessons should be decided by board. Hoffman-Peavler said that SEAB recommends mixed-gender classes, but that's not their purview.

Changes After Adoption?

Teacher Marcy Goyette is Heritage's representative on SEAB. She noted that in the previous curriculum, there were words changed and phrases crossed out - and that all those changes were made before the board adopted the curriculum. She said teachers have been assured they can make changes after passage by the board. She wants to clarify that for her fellow teachers.

For example, she said, some teachers are not comfortable with the lesson on masturbation. The lesson for females is much more descriptive than the lesson for males.

"Is there a point where we are almost teaching masturbation?" she asked. 

After the passage of the curriculum, can teachers create lessons for females that are less descriptive, like the lesson for males.

"I want to assure our teachers we will have a process, because we're coming up on a vote in two weeks," Goyette said.

Superintendent Steven Laatsch said that the last time the curriculum was approved, some fourth-grade teachers were not comfortable with some things. 

"We were going with the idea that, the curriculum was approved, and you can't teach more than this, but we felt if we needed to limit the way it was presented so that it was developmentally appropriate, we went ahead and did it that," Laatsch said.

Estep had a different response, and seemed to be saying revisions would need approval when she was interrupted by Hoffman-Peavler, who said the SEAB has checked with the law firm and Michigan Department of Education and that "revisions are changes for addition but not for subtraction."

Estep asked Laatsch to send that information to the board before the vote.

"It could be the decision is to take out the lesson on gender and sexual orientation and all of those definitions without the board even knowing," Estep said.

Goyette said reviewing the curriculum has been challenging due to the summer break and the back-to-school rush.

President McVey asked  10-11 more days was enough time for teachers to review the lessons. Goyette said it wasn't.

Trustee Brad Gerbe, also a teacher, said the beginning of the year was about creating community and getting into the classroom.

Laatsch reminded people that staff and administration constantly tweak curriculum even if approved.

"Our teaching staff and administrative staff to need to have some level of flexibility in how they implement any of our curriculum," Laatsch said.

Laatsch said it sounded like the board was not ready to vote on the issue. He suggested Goyette go back to the fifth grade teachers and  come back to the board and recommend changes.

Hoffman-Peavler said it would be helpful if every teacher supplied information through an existing Google form. After a concern about anonymity, Hoffman-Peavler said the same form would submitted without using names.

Board vice-president Jennifer Steben thanked Goyette for speaking on behalf of the staff.

"We should definitely be listening to the people who have to operationalize this," Steben said.

During the meeting's closing public comment section, Megan Gunnerson asked if teachers of grades, six, seven and eight should be included in an option to fill out the anonymous SEAB Google form. McVey said she reach out to the SEAB leadership.

Public Comment

Toward the beginning of the meeting, a student identified as Em expressed appreciation that the curriculum used descriptors other than boy or girl.

"I know that the proposed curriculum would have greatly benefitted not only my education but also my overall health and student experience," Em said.

SEAB member Megan Gunnerson said she supported the curriculum but had some concerns about the target audience for some of the lessons.

High School Lessons

Estep said she hopes the SEAB can move quickly to implement new curriculum at the high school. She said the existing curriculum is "not at all inclusive to trans and nonbinary students." She said the board's policy on non-discrimination and access to equal education opportunity requires an inclusive sex education curriculum.

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