Sex/AIDS Education to be offered in schools

Per state board policies and Georgia law a committee recently met to discuss options for sex and AIDS educational offerings in Pickens County schools. The committee, composed of teachers, parents and high school students, mulled the options available for classes from materials from the current health textbooks and the North Georgia Pregnancy Center.

The program of study shall include an emphasis on abstinence and fidelity in marriage as the most effective means of preventing disease and unwanted pregnancy.

Recommendations they made included:
A) Each middle school shall draft a permission slip for the class.
B) Parents should be given the opportunity to opt out.
C) Middle school curriculum should be consistent from school to school and between the sexes.
D) Separation of sexes in classes.
E) Three days of instruction to be provided for 6th, 7th and 8th grades.
F) Curriculum be made available to all parents in both paper and digital forms with a contact person for each school listed for questions.
G) The school advisory councils receive all materials for review.
H) To continue with current curriculum at both middle and high school levels.
I) To pursue more updated materials in the future.
J) Discuss options for including grades 10-12 in sex education.

The committee arrived at the decision that historically too few in the middle schools have been included in sex education courses due to the requirement that one must have the permission slip for admission so instead they chose to word the slips to opt “out” rather than “in” in an effort to diminish the failure of students delivering the slips to the school.

With Superintendent Dr. Lula Perry’s endorsement, the board voted unanimously to proceed with the proposal as recommended.

Each school should have a link on their websites for these classes. The district wide policy may be viewed here:

District Policy

The presentation of the proposal to the board, by Shelly Greene, may be watched here: