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Show Students urge okay of AIDS education policy A student representatives to Pine School District Board of catln told board members and W '"tendance at the Tues- V j"001 ward meeting th at they Cls ing about AIDS in S despite a handful of par-d par-d sTnj Who PPsed the re" siiidi-Vj cation plicy which itio i! . J? ihe Caching of infor-i infor-i on AIDS in the schools in lstricts. uuEducation policy was H f v 1)6 on the 0ct- 11 ipw or ard vote, but board V ay de'ayed in light of HsaTdnC6rnS' Supt SteVe" k ."'ton. student repre- iSch i board from rem ' told tnose in atten- kk Cr r mandate from the AITjq education to teach thjn ln e schools is a posi- l a"d parents should not Merits P information from Jnumber of the students 'tAmS . because inform ation aiSriotavailablereadily. I can't find anything about it at school," he said. "It's a major health concern, and it's a major concern for students. There are rumors and hearsay that we don't have enough to balance. "A great number of the students are concerned con-cerned because information infor-mation about AIDS is not available readily. I can't find anything about it at school." .-Christ Walton Student When an issue is that critical, we need to have something done about it." , . Walton told parents the issue is a "major element of our world one that you didn't have to deal with." , . He said he realized it is a sensitive sensi-tive issue, but it's one students feel should be dealt with. When a parent in the audience asked the other representative students their feelings on the issue, all said they felt information should be taught in the schools because it isn't always taught at home. One then asked if the parents had asked their children what they thought about the policy. Most of the parents present did not agree with the students, instead in-stead expressing not only concern with the curriculum content but said they didn't feel teachers will stay within the bounds of what the policy dictates they can teach about sex and AIDS. Another parent opposed teaching teach-ing the subject in the classroom, saying it should not be a part of the public schools. "This is something the parents should be doing, and if they can't, we need to help our parents so they can," another parent said. Diane Robison, a parent, asked if the district could guarantee all of the district's teachers would follow the curriculum as it is outlined. Baugh replied there couldn't be a 100 percent guarantee. "I suppose we have the same guarantee we have in other classroom class-room situations just a very capable, ca-pable, responsible classroom teacher who has training. We need to trust that they will keep their answers (to the students questions) ques-tions) brief, appropriate and suited to the age. They recognize that we're supplementing and complementing comple-menting the home and not taking the place of the home." One suggestion was that instead in-stead of having a sex education curriculum, boys and girls meet in separate assemblies. Board member Linda Campbell, herself a health education instructor instruc-tor in another district, said this wouldn't work because you couldn't give all the information needed in one assembly. One parent asked why Alpine School District is acting on the policy when other districts in the state seem not to be. Baugh said under state mandate, man-date, all districts have to teach the curriculum and, if they haven't already, will be moving toward implementation of it. The AIDS curriculum is to be taught in the context of the Responsible Respon-sible Healthy Lifestyle Curriculum adopted by the state. The curriculum is developed in a form appropriate to age in grades 3-12. 3-12. Parents may review the curriculum, cur-riculum, and may elect to have their children removed from units "This is something the parents should be doing, and if they can't, we need to help our parents so they can." A parent of the instructional program on the subject. Written parental consent is required before a student can attend classes concerning the subject. sub-ject. Parents are encouraged to attend at-tend the meeting and participate in the classes. In the secondary schools, the curriculum is to be taught in classes such as biology, human biology, health, home economics, health occupations, physiology, parenting, and vocational agriculture. agricul-ture. One parent suggested that all teachers be trained in the subject so they could answer questions students might asked. Baugh said this was an excellent suggestion and would be considered. consid-ered. Board members stressed goal of the district is to "complement and supplement those standards established estab-lished in the home as they relate to the family life and sex education of their children, including the principle prin-ciple of morality." The curriculum, according to the proposed policy, will emphasize the aspects of growth and development develop-ment of humans as they relate to knowledge and appreciation of family relationships, scientific physiological information and the helping youth to acquire a background back-ground of ideals, standards and attitudes which will be of value in their present and later life. |