Wednesday, October 20, 1999
State says it won't force plan on local schools
BY SUSAN TAVE ZELMAN
Ohio Superintendent of Public Instruction
I appreciate the opportunity to clarify information about the draft of Ohio's Model for Health and Physical Education that appeared in a Cincinnati Enquirer editorial (“Stop the stealth attack on parents and schools,” Oct. 7).
First, let me draw a distinction between Ohio's draft model and the materials referenced in the editorial that were identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as effective programs for the training of professionals in the prevention of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. The editorial mixed the two. The Ohio Department of Education is not promoting sexual activity in our youth through the model we have developed.
We are not. I want to take this opportunity to assure parents and educators in the Cincinnati area and throughout Ohio that the model we are recommending promotes safe, healthy lifestyles. I also want to clarify that no state model is ever forced on any school district; the development of curriculum is a local decision by law.
Essentially, the draft model for health and physical education developed by the department is a guide for school districts to help local educators develop courses of study, curriculum and lesson plans in health and physical education. By law, no school district is required to use it; all of our models are optional.
The State Board of Education strongly believed it had a responsibility to provide leadership to school districts by producing this model, especially for districts that do not have the personnel to develop their own education models. The draft model was created by a panel of health professionals, parents, educators, business leaders and staff at the ODE and is chaired by a noted physician from Children's Hospital in Columbus, Dr. Robert Murray, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Nothing about it was secret or behind closed doors, as your editorial suggested.
The draft has been disseminated for review to more than 350 individuals locally, statewide and nationally, including physicians, school personnel, parents, community leaders, nutrition and health experts and religious leaders. The Teaching and Leadership committee of the State Board of Education will be reviewing it at its November meeting. When the board is comfortable with the model, it will be sent to the General Assembly, which must approve it before it may be adopted by the board.
I invite your readers to call 1-877-644-6338 if they want a draft copy of the model mailed to them. As a mother, I can assure you that there is no material in this model that is offensive or would harm children. Instead, the model suggests to health education teachers that they promote healthy habits through nutrition, exercise and fitness, and drug- and alcohol-free lifestyles. It makes suggestions for teaching development and growth, disease prevention and control, conflict management and injury prevention and control.
In terms of education about sexuality, abstinence is emphasized throughout, as required by law. For example, the guidelines suggest at the 6th-grade level that teachers talk with students about refusing sexual advances. At the 8th-grade level, it suggests a discussion on abstinence. At the 10th-grade level, there is a recommendation to discuss responsible sexual behavior and the benefits of strong families, abstinence and fidelity. In the disease prevention and control portion there is discussion on the transmission of AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.
The materials referenced in the editorial for the training of adults in the prevention of HIV infection and other sexually transmitted diseases were identified as “Programs That Work” by the CDC in Atlanta. In 1998, we trained 55 adults using these materials and have done no training since October 1998. Instead of direct training of adults, we are recommending to the legislature that CDC monies be allocated to specific school districts where HIV/AIDS is the leading cause of death among young adults. Our intent is to help local teams of education and health professionals strengthen their local planning and communication.
I am extremely concerned that 63 percent of our Ohio high school students are sexually active by the time they graduate, according to the 1999 Ohio Youth Risk Behavior survey. In a high school of 1,000 students, this would equal 630 students who are sexually active. I am even more concerned that of the 12 million new cases of sexually transmitted diseases each year, 85 percent involve young people between the ages of 15 and 29. And until 1997, AIDS was the leading cause of death for Americans between the ages of 25 and 44, according to the CDC. This is the reality we face as communities, parents, legislators, health professionals, religious leaders and educators.
The editorial conjures up a picture of behind-the-scenes regulatory power of the ODE and the Ohio Department of Health, calling both the model and the training a “stealth attack on parents and schools.” Our model is optional for school districts. Training against the spread of HIV and sexually transmitted diseases is optional at the district level. No curriculum is forced by the Ohio Department of Education. The ultimate decision for curriculum is up to parents, communities, school boards and school districts.
I urge parents to be strongly involved in the development of their local curriculum, based on the needs of youth in their district. If they need guidance, the ODE has drafted a solid model to address the need for safe, healthy lifestyles among our youth.
Share your opinion with us at letters@enquirer.com
EDITORIAL: Sex-ed: Who's in control?
Excerpts from CDC sex education
State says it won't force plan on local schools
What you can do
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