January School Board Meeting
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.
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.
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.
School Board Meeting Monday Feb 3, 6:30 pm, Henry Hill building in Independence.
UPDATE
A just-in-case drone policy is now in place for the school district – though no CSD teacher appears to be certified in unmanned aircraft systems. Nonetheless, the Oregon Department of Aviation has waived fees that would lessen expenses in the event that such instruction occurs. The policy appears to be a futuristic one – there is a stated goal to provide more technical career education at the high school level in years to come.
THE FINAL WORD
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.
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