Don't fall for OSPI's new talking points. Our op-ed for The Kitsap Sun:
"Despite proponents attempts to keep them under wraps, examples have been shared on social media and now the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) is backpedaling. They’ve deleted links to "The 3 Rs" and several other controversial sites from their page. They claim they don’t approve curricula and that local districts have full control, that most districts won’t need to change curriculum, and parents can just opt their kids out.
The law clearly states schools must choose a curriculum on OSPI’s list or work with them using their standards and review guidelines to create a new once — at the district’s own expense since this is an unfunded mandate. True choice would allow districts to choose something other than CSE — see Initiative 1109.
If it’s going to be business as usual why did we engage in this two-year-long battle?
Why is Planned Parenthood, et al. spending over $1.1 million?
And exactly how do you opt kids out of the schoolyard discussions and culture change that takes place at school?"
Parents don't believe state sex-education plan is age appropriate
Julia Dawn Seaver
If you get too close to a bear cub, the mother will come charging at you. Turns out the same reaction occurs in humans.
For nearly two years moms, dads, grandparents, and concerned citizens charged Olympia by the thousands during numerous hearings, rallies, and protests regarding ESSB 5395, which mandates K-12 comprehensive sexual education (CSE) in every public school.
Last session, the legislature received 21,668 calls against the bill and just 191 in favor. To address concerns, over 200 amendments were offered, only 29 were heard, and every single one was rejected. Despite the objections, the bill, requested by Superintendent Chris Reykdal, was passed and signed into law.
Parents set to work to repeal the bill and collected 264,000 signatures, more than twice the number needed in just seven weeks, during a pandemic, and without paid signature gatherers, an unprecedented accomplishment.
After fighting legislators, parents are now battling big money special interest groups and a complicit media who allow proponents to make unchallenged, vague, sweeping statements regarding the bill and standards, which detail the stated goals of CSE, while ignoring the curricula, which show HOW students will be taught. We’re expected to simply accept curricula will be age-appropriate and medically accurate, and that affirmative consent will actually teach kids to say no to sex. We’re told that CSE is effective despite opposing studies and soaring STD rates.
We decided to research curricula and CSE and discovered CSE is not regular sex ed, but a method that moves away from teaching reproductive lessons to sexuality expression and pleasure.
• No failure rates or risks of the various birth control methods discussed. (Flash)
• Tells kids the withdrawal method is free, always available, and works better than most people think, but says nothing of the 22% failure rate. (Flash) • Doesn’t tell kids the risks associated with oral and anal sex, which are mentioned repeatedly. (Flash)
• Porn lessons don’t include the well documented harms of porn. (3 Rs)
• Tells kids they’re assigned a sex at birth and taught about gender identity, but not that 80-95% of kids with gender dysphoria, will identify with their birth sex before reaching adulthood. (Flash, 3 Rs)
• Consent lessons have students role-play scenarios that normalize underage sex, like one where two girls met last weekend, have hooked up again, are both turned on, and are now going to “make a decision” on whether or not to have sex. (3 Rs)
• 7th graders are told bathing together and mutual masturbation are good ways to build connections while avoiding STDs. (3 Rs)
• A kindergarten anatomy lesson states “So a person with a vulva has three holes
between their legs and a very sensitive little area at the top called the clitoris.” (3 Rs)
Do these all sound age-appropriate to you?
Do they reflect the values you want your children taught?
Does it bother you that students aren’t given complete information?
You can see why proponents and media have steadfastly refused to print examples despite them being readily available, and instead have painted CSE opponents as misinformed, fearful, and opposed to sex ed. Wrong. We’re opposed to the CSE method of sex ed.
Despite proponents attempts to keep them under wraps, examples have been shared on social media and now the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) is backpedaling. They’ve deleted links to "The 3 Rs" and several other controversial sites from their page. They claim they don’t approve curricula and that local districts have full control, that most districts won’t need to change curriculum, and parents can just opt their kids out. The law clearly states schools must choose a curriculum on OSPI’s list or work with them using their standards and review guidelines to create a new once — at the district’s own expense since this is an unfunded mandate. True choice would allow districts to choose something other than CSE — see Initiative 1109.
If it’s going to be business as usual why did we engage in this two-year-long battle?
Why is Planned Parenthood, et al. spending over $1.1 million?
And exactly how do you opt kids out of the schoolyard discussions and culture change that takes place at school?
Don’t be fooled. Read the curricula, then vote Reject R-90. We will not stop fighting even though Informed Parents of Washington is currently facing a potential lawsuit for sharing examples from one of the curricula on OSPI’s list. Mama bears don’t stop until their cubs are safe from harm.
Julia Dawn Seaver is a founding member of Informed Parents of Washington and also belongs to the group Southwest Washington Parents Rights in Education. She lives in Vancouver, Washington.
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