Omaha Public Schools has adopted expanded curriculum standards for it’s sex-education and wellness class, Human Growth and Development. The new standards have caused an outcry among concerned parents in the community.
Supporters of the changes often point to Opt Out as an easy solution. But using Opt Out as a compromise for implementing new standards against the desires of so many, will divide the district by creating conflict between Omaha Public Schools and the people it’s paid to serve: parents and children.
Opt Out policies put parents and school leaders at odds. They force parents into the difficult position of removing their child from a classroom and schools in the difficult position of endorsing material that parents oppose.
Opt Out should be utilized only as a last resort when no other reasonable solution can be agreed upon.
According to a recent OPS survey only 60-65% of parents were comfortable with the topics that Omaha Public Schools added to the Human Growth and Development curriculum.
This means that 35-40% of all parents in the Omaha Public Schools district would be put in the position of potentially opting their children out of the class. Contrast this with the fact that according to the same survey, 95% of parents said they were satisfied with the status quo in Human Growth and Development.
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We all want our children to avoid “high risk behaviors” that put not only their physical health at risk, but their mental and emotional health as well. This is not controversial. But issues such as abortion, emergency contraception (abortifacients), masturbation, homosexuality, gender identity, gender fluidity, and transgenderism are controversial.
On these controversial topics there isn’t consensus on what is “medically accurate” in the scientific community, nor is there consensus on what is “age appropriate” among parents and other adults.
Agreement on these issues is critical to the success and support of any sex education curriculum.
When parents and schools are at odds, the authority of both are compromised. It is unnecessary for Omaha Public Schools to put itself at odds with up to 40% of parents in the district. No school should impose a policy against the will of so many parents.
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It’s in the best interest of everyone, especially our children and grandchildren, that parents and school leaders in the Omaha Public Schools work together.
If you are concerned about controversial materials presented in Human Growth and Development and want to opt your child out, download the Opt Out Form and follow the included instructions.
Hallie Hamilton
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