Some Information on Sex Education Reformin Volusia County Public Schools
last updated: August 25, 2011 Contact: Lynn Ormond Beach, Florida |
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Print TimelineMay 2008 - May 2009 ... *I wrote |
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| May 5-June 6, 2008* | Select email to and from Volusia County Public School administrators and School Board members (and me). These are just a few early communications among hundreds of emails sent and received on this issue. |
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May 22, 2008* |
An editorial published in the Daytona Beach News-Journal, "Abstinence-only classes in local schools forfeit sex education to religious sermon", that instigated the issue. Flagler County was reportedly to sign a letter of intent that day Pure Energy, but, because of the controversies raised in the editorial, that did not occur. |
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May 30, 2008 |
A rebuttal (editorial) written by Jessica Errico of Pure Energy/Central Florida Pregnancy Center (this "pregnancy center" is "ministry to the hearts of women" that offers "healing for those who have been wounded by a past abortion experience"), published in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, "Critics of abstinence-only program off-base." Here's my response. |
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June 2-4, 2008* |
Three emails written to the principal at Pine Trail Elementary School and Pine Trail parents objecting to the 5th grade girls throughout Volusia County being instructed to take virginity-until-marriage vows after a one-hour talk on puberty. The practice was reportedly eliminated within two days of the initial email. |
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June 10, 2008 |
School Board minutes. Another parent and I addressed the Volusia County School Board, advocating replacing the current abstinence-only curriculum with a comprehensive sex education program. Review the minutes here. (No discussion details are provided.) |
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July 17, 2008 |
A news article by Denise-Marie Balona of The Orlando Sentinel, "Volusia County urged to drop abstinence, teach safe sex." |
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July 18, 2008 |
A news article by Mark Harper of The Daytona Beach News-Journal, "Volusia schools' abstinence-only sex-ed program challenged." |
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July 25, 2008* |
An editorial published in the Hometown News, "School abstinence program does not protect children", discussing the issue and three-person panel consisting of representatives from Planned Parenthood and the ACLU (and me) at the Unitarian Church in Ormond Beach. |
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September 5, 2008 |
A news article by Linda Trimble of The Daytona Beach News-Journal, "Abstinence-only sex ed suspended while under review." |
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September 17, 2008* |
A School Health Advisory Committee (SHAC) report proposing that we adopt a comprehensive sex education program based on scientifically verifiable information for Volusia County schools. |
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October 16, 2008 |
A news article by Linda Trimble of The Daytona Beach News-Journal, "Opinions vary widely on the sex education review committee." |
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November 16, 2008 |
A news article by Linda Trimble of The Daytona Beach News-Journal, "Volusia schools to consider expanding sex education." |
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November 21, 2008* |
A minority report written for SHAC, objecting to the conclusions reached by the committee. |
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November 28, 2008* |
An editorial published in the Daytona Beach News-Journal, "What Schools Should Say About Sex", about the outcome of the SHAC findings. |
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February 22, 2009 |
A news article by Linda Trimble of The Daytona Beach News-Journal, "Volusia to expand sex ed curriculum." |
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February 25, 2009 |
A news article by Linda Trimble of The Daytona Beach News-Journal, "Expanded sex ed to begin in eighth grade." |
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February 28, 2009 |
An editorial by The Daytona Beach News-Journal, "Sex ed beyond abstinence: School boards would do well to level with students." |
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April 2, 2009 |
A news article by Pat Heffield of West Volusia Beacon, "Volusia County Schools to teach birth control, starting this spring." |
| May 1, 2009* |
Select
email to and from Volusia County Public
School administrators (and me) about the Changes
Program sponsored by Proctor and Gamble for all
5th grade students. Up until that time, in some
Volusia schools, boys were educated on puberty
and body changes for both genders, while the girls were taught only about
their own gender. (It seemed absurd.) A local
pediatrician involved in the program for the
boys said that
educating the students only about their own
gender does not offer the context necessary for
the information to fully make sense to the
students. In addition to the obvious problems with this
scenario, such a disparity seems to send a clear
message to the girls that they are not worthy or
capable of handling the same level of
information as boys of their age. The policy was then changed and elementary school principals advised that both male and female students will view the co-ed material "due to an increase of pregnancy in our middle schools and even our elementary schools" (per a letter from Amy Hall, District Counseling Specialist). |
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