Breaking! Fort Worth ISD LGBT, Condom Content Needs to Be Removed!
Topic:
Local School Board
| Take Action now! You may recall a few weeks ago that Texas Values was involved in a School Health Advisory Committee (SHAC) meeting at Fort Worth ISD and our conclusion was that sex education curriculum called “Choosing the Best” was a positive step forward, because the other option was bad. At that meeting, and prior to it, we did not have full access to the “Choosing the Best” curriculum and now we do, which is why we were cautious in our support at the last meeting. However, we have now found out that the “Choosing the Best” curriculum has LGBT language, condom instruction, and Plan B abortion pill content, all details that we weren’t aware of before and now the publisher is refusing to remove this very concerning content. We ask you to take action now and contact the Fort Worth ISD SHAC and request that they remove this language from the “Choosing the Best” curriculum before it’s approved. Fort Worth Independent School District See more details below. Fort Worth Independent School District is currently in the process of selecting a human sexuality curriculum for students. As a reminder, school districts are not required to have a human sexuality class. At the meeting on January 22, the School Health Advisory Council (SHAC) took a major step forward in not selecting the notorious Health Smart curriculum with ties to Planned Parenthood, and instead choosing a curriculum that some parents in Fort Worth advocated as being abstinence focused and age appropriate. Texas Values even believed that “Choosing the Best” curriculum was the best option and we were comfortable with showing cautious support of the curriculum until we discovered it was tainted with LGBT, abortion related, and Diversity and Inclusion content. The SHAC has now given the public access to view the “Choosing the Best” curriculum and what we found is concerning. Discovered in the teacher’s manual are:• A statement celebrating the curriculum as “inclusive” because it can be applied to LGBT students. |
| The curriculum has a “Diversity Inclusion” statement to support this language. (Which the Texas Legislature has banned at the collegiate level and the legislature has not authorized for K-12).The “Diversity Inclusion” statement details how their curriculum is “gender neutral” in order to appeal to the LGBT community. In fact, the publisher of “Choosing the Best” told us that the reason for the language was to satisfy the LGBT community in Fort Worth ISD. |
| • A full-page explanation instructing students how to use a condom. Male condoms and Female condoms are mentioned in teacher’s manual.• A long comprehensive list of contraceptives for girls that have been proven to cause health complications for young girls including drug-based contraceptives implanting risky devices in a girl’s body, and tying a girl’s tubes (tubal inclusion), before she is an adult. Also mentions vasectomies for boys. |
| • In the addendum of the teacher manual, there is a half-page discussion and explanation of emergency contraceptives with specific mention of Plan B One- Step, which can cause an abortion. |
| Despite the remainder of the curriculum promoting the concept of students delaying sexual activity and promoting healthy lifestyles, the issues above need to be addressed. As our experience with teachers show, teachers can take liberty with the items listed above and teach sex education in a way that is LGBT focused and encouraging behaviors and health choices that are not consistent with the abstinence requirement in law or with parents’ values. Make no mistake, the list above is inconsistent and uncharacteristic of the sexual risk avoidance message the “Choosing the Best” curriculum wants to convey. The school district must really choose the best option and cannot compromise. At the end of the day, Texas law does not require sex education to be taught. In fact, the school district and the SHAC have the freedom to delay until they have a sex education product that can be supported. There are other options the school district could consider or they can decide to not teach sex education. Texas Values cannot support the “Choosing the Best” curriculum in its current state! We made that clear to the publishers and they have been unwilling to make these changes. Contact the Fort Worth ISD SHAC members today and ask them to remove the harmful and controversial content mentioned above. Link to contact information for SHAC: FWISD SHAC |
| Contact Individual Members of the Ft. Worth ISD SHAC: Roina Baquera, PhD Director & SHAC Chair [email protected] Kat Pompa (SHAC member) [email protected] Dr. Michael Ryan FWISD Board Member District 7 [email protected] Chris Moore, MS Adolescent Health Coordinator [email protected] Dr. Lisa Castillo Executive Director CCMR and Enrichment (Immediate supervisor of FWISD PE/Health Dept) [email protected] |