Sex, Drugs, and...

We got a notice that our county was slightly changing their "Family Life" curriculum, and inviting parents to a meeting at the school to see the changes and review the material for our children's classes.

("Family Life" is what they call the lessons relating to sex, tobacco, alcohol, drugs, and other such touchy topics.)

We didn't care so much about the change -- we hadn't known what it was before, after all -- but we were interested in finding out what they'd be teaching our five-year-old about sex and drugs, so Matt went to the meeting last night. I expected him to be gone about an hour, maybe a bit more.

He was home half an hour later.

"There were maybe twenty-five parents there," he told me, "and a few kids."

"That's all?"

"Last year, they had maybe five," he said. "They had to go make extra copies of the handouts."

Which just boggles my mind. I mean, I absolutely support these initiatives, but that doesn't mean I don't want to know what they're telling her!

It turns out that in kindergarten and first grade, they only have one class a year, and its focus is on how to respond to child molestation. Not that the handout used that phrase -- which I actually appreciated, because the handout gave us a feel for the language they'll be using with the kids. How to tell the difference between "good" touching and "bad" touching, and what to do about it. Important stuff, and I didn't see anything in their description that I disagreed with or thought was too far over Penny's head.

There were a list of supporting activities for the classroom at the bottom of the sheet, though, and one of them both intrigued and amused me. The first two activities referenced a book and a movie based on the book, with a title that I can't remember but that my brain wants to fill in with Our Bodies, Ourselves which definitely isn't it. Anyway, the second one said, "The teacher may read [book title] to the class, except pages 14-27, which will not be read."

...I really want to know what's on pages 14-27, now! (Matt asked to see the book during the meeting, and was told that they don't have it and it won't be used -- one of the other supporting activities will be.)

Second and third graders will also have only one lesson, but a different one -- possibly drug avoidance -- and then fourth and fifth graders get two lessons, one of which is the "Okay, all the boys are going to go to Mr. Smith's room, and the girls are all coming over here..." Puberty-Is-Upon-Us lecture. Matt said the guidance counselor seemed to have trouble using sex-related words during the meeting, so he really wished he could be there for these lessons, just to watch her stammer through them.