By AMY RILEY
One Citizen's Perspective

I spent this past week reading through the Fayette County schools' health curriculum guides. I believe that to be pertinent information for all of us. Here are the highlights.

The first and most important rule is that Fayette County and the state Board of Education mandate a sex education curriculum that is abstinence based. Locally, the health curriculum is jointly established and monitored by educators and a review committee comprised of parents, clergy, community leaders and medical professionals.

The kindergarten through fifth grade curriculum is established by the county according to state Quality Core Curriculum (QCC) standards. For grades sixth through eighth, and for one semester in high school, the QCC standards are supplemented with a Human Growth and Development Guide which is a product of a parent review committee, whose recommendations were accepted by the Fayette Board of Education in November 1992.

The parent review committee supplementary guides prohibit the discussion of sensitive subject matter such as sodomy and masturbation, and mandate that any such questions “be referred to parents, doctors, clergy and/or counselors.”

Homosexuality and abortion may be defined, but not discussed.

The supplementary guides make clear that the only safe sex is monogamous sex within the context of marriage, and that “having children is best undertaken in marriage.”

The guides further state that “all health teachers ... when instructing how HIV is spread,” must also convey that “deep kissing can put [students] at risk for HIV transmission” where there is presence of blood in the saliva from mouth sores or inflamed tissue.

The parent review committee further mandates that only approved textbooks, speakers, materials and videos may be used, and that a parent permission letter must be signed for all participants in the human growth and development courses of study in grades five through nine. All health units are to be preceded by units on decision-making, self-esteem, and refusal skills.

Throughout the health curriculum in grades kindergarten through ninth are the following strands in compliance with state QCC objectives in increasingly mature formats as is age-appropriate per grade level: alcohol, tobacco, and other substance abuse; disease prevention; family living; growth and development; mental health; nutrition; personal health; safety; and in the high school component only: health careers; consumer health; and community health.

DARE materials are used in grades three through five. Safety and accident prevention regarding firearms is presented in grades three, eight, and nine. All of the grades identify local support systems concerning personal safety as family, teachers, religious advisors, friends or counselors. A discussion of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse and neglect is included in every grade level, as well as what to do if one is the victim of abuse.

Speaking of what to do, “What Tadoo” and “What Tadoo With Secrets,” for kindergarten, first and second grades respectively, are the two newest proposed additions to the approved videos list to support the health curriculum. These have been tabled for 30 days for public viewing and comment.

If you wish to preview the videos, contact Larry Reeves at the LaFayette Educational Center at 770-460-3990, ext. 121.

About the only thing questionable in my mind was the use of a bizarre little activity called “Fallout” in the mental health strand of eighth grade. This is one some of you may have seen in corporate retreat settings designed to promote consensus thinking.

The instructions state that as survivors of a nuclear blast, with limited supplies for 10 days of safe haven from nuclear fallout, you [the student], as leader, must decide which eight people out of 16 to send outside of the shelter to die from radiation poisoning. Each potential victim comes with a resume of worthy or unworthy skills and histories. Is this an exercise in valuing or devaluing human life?

Know, too, that Georgia Code 20-2-143 states that any parents may elect, in writing, to “opt out” of the sex education curriculum, and request that their child be assigned a suitable alternative course of study.

One other news item: the county is currently seating the math textbook adoption committee. If you desire one of the 11 parent spots, contact your school's principal to see if your school was allotted a parent position and request an appointment — I did.

If you would like to read more on Fayette's health curriculum, contact Dr. Sharon Boyer, coordinator for Science and Health, at 770-460-3990, ext. 118. My thanks to her for supplying an organized and professional curriculum guide, and to the educators, parents, and Fayette community for a quality product for our children.

[You may contact Amy Riley at ARiley3003@aol.com.]

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