Parents blast school board’s plan to explain intercourse, gay love to students

July 15, 2010|Associated Press

HELENA, Mont. — A proposed sex education program that teaches fifth-graders the different ways people have intercourse and first-graders about gay love has infuriated parents and forced the school board to take a closer look at the issue.

Helena school trustees were swamped Tuesday at a hearing that left many of the hundreds of parents in attendance standing outside a packed boardroom. They urged the school board to take the sex education program back to the drawing board.

The proposed 62-page document covers a broad health and nutrition education program and took two years to draft. But it is the small portion dealing with sexual education that has drawn criticism.

Parents appeared most worried about pieces of the plan that teach first-graders about same-gender relationships, fifth-graders that sexual intercourse includes “vaginal, oral, or anal penetration,’’ and high school students about erotic art. The curriculum would also teach kindergartners anatomical terms such as penis, vagina, nipples, testicles, scrotum, and uterus.

Supporters say the proposed curriculum contains honest, science-based information on wellness and allows students to make better decisions.

One resident said parents may consider a lawsuit if it goes forward.