By Anne Scheck

K-5 DISTRICT SCHOOLS GET ‘AGE-APPROPRIATE’ SEX ED

A sexual education program for the district’s elementary schools will begin in kindergarten with lessons about personal boundary-setting and, by the end of fifth grade, include more relationship-oriented discussions, according to an introduction to the plan presented at the last meeting of Central School District (CSD) 13J. 
Calling it a “difficult topic,” District Superintendent Jennifer Kubista EdD noted that the elementary-school portion is only part of CSD’s K-12 comprehensive plan on sexual health and education, which is designed to comply with Oregon’s statutory requirement. 

Much of the information will be drawn from the curriculum of “The Great Body Shop,” which received input from the community before its adoption a few years ago. For high school students, providing information about contraception, as well as focusing on abstention, might be seen as “controversial,” Dr. Kubista acknowledged. “But that is a priority of what we are expected to do.” 

Recent results from the district’s “healthy youth survey” indicate a substantial increase (10%) in the number of 11th graders who reported feeling “pressured into sex” since the 2017 questionnaire, she pointed out. The instruction on sexual topics, which is scheduled to take place four times a year, needs to have “high academic rigor and use medically accurate definitions,” Dr. Kubista added. 

The expansion is a result of “Erin’s Law,” which seeks to provide youths with skills to help prevent sex abuse. Parents may review the program; Letters providing notification of how to “opt out” will be sent. Most recently, the CSD committee that created the new program worked on ways in which the requirements can be met in grades K-5. The presentation was made by Julia Heilman, student-services director for the district and Alisha Bowen, physical education teacher at Talmadge Middle School. The Oregon Department of Education has asked to use parts of CSD’s plan as a template for other districts, according to Ms. Heilman.

NEW TOOL FOR ASSESSING SUPERINTENDENT REVIEW

Feedback from CSD staff and local citizens will be included in future superintendent evaluations, School Board Chair Steve Love announced at the January school board meeting.

At a recent work-session retreat by the CSD school board, members decided that future polling of CSD employees and community members would be undertaken as part of the annual superintendent assessment, he said. 

Date to Note

School Board Meeting Monday Feb 3, 6:30 pm, Henry Hill building in Independence.

In terms of demographic trends, CSD in general and Independence Elementary School in particular, are representative of today’s public schools. Nationwide, one in every four elementary-school students is Latinx, and most are English-language learners, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. As a result, dual-language programs are becoming more common – they are linked to increases on standardized tests among students for whom English is a second language.

An anonymous, volunteer questionnaire suggests that 8th grade students at Talmadge Middle School experienced substantially more bullying by social media this past year –as well as unwanted sexual comments or attention – than they did the last two times the survey was taken. However, the reasons why are unclear.
 
The survey is conducted biennially by the Central School District (CHS) during odd-numbered years. It includes only unidentified students from grades 8 and 11.
 
The 8th-grade group this past year had a higher number of students who felt “sad” or “hopeless” daily for more than two weeks, compared with 2017 and 2015. They also had more food insecurity, compared with two years ago.
 
However, a high percentage of CHS and middle-school students – more than 70% – felt that “at least one teacher/adult in my school cares about me.” This category increased for the two groups from both 2015 and 2017.

Scores of students attending CHS, as well as graduates of the high school, have participated in programs at Chemeketa Community College over the past decade that saved them thousands of dollars in college costs, according to a report at the December meeting of the Central District 13J School Board. 
 
The findings were presented by Chemeketa President Jessica Howard PhD and Betsy Earls, a board member from the community college. They presented information showing that, last year, 59 CHS students paid $25 to participate in Chemeketa’s “College Credit Now” program, earning 420 college credits – a savings of $42,625.
 
“I am so excited with our burgeoning partnership,” Dr. Howard said. The program connects high school to higher education, providing a cost-effective pathway and smoothing the transition to college, she added. Figures from 2016 show that 14% of that year’s CHS graduation class enrolled at Chemeketa.  
 
“I think this a valuable partnership that we need to have with the district,” said Superintendent Jennifer Kubista EdD. In the future, there may be more opportunity for expansion in trade and technical education, she said.
 
Enrollment figures released last year show that Chemeketa had the lowest number of students it had recorded in the past 10 years. Statewide, declines on some campuses have been blamed on a strong economy and lagging student recruitment; Gains at some – like Oregon State University, which showed an uptick – have been attributed partly to degree offerings more closely tailored to the job force.

Mental health specialists now serve all schools in the district, and are listed for reference on the Polk County website: Ashley Hunt at Ash Creek Elementary; Sara Weeks at Independence Elementary; Vanessa Unger at Monmouth Elementary; Katie Finley at Talmadge Middle School; Hilary Morris at CHS.

The incidence of gonorrhea increased significantly in Polk County between 2013 and 2017, a recent report shows; It rose from 17 to 75 cases. During the same period, syphilis cases increased only from seven to 11. The incidence of both sexually transmitted diseases is being tracked, according to Kristty Polanco MPH, public health administrator for Polk County Health Services.