001Uh good evening everyone. While you file in and find seats and fill out your forms, um we're just going to get started because we have a lot to do tonight. Um if you have a form in your hand still and you want to turn it in to speak tonight, please just raise your hand and someone from the district will like find it just the edge of the eye. Um good evening. This meeting is a meeting of the board of education and public for the purpose of conducting the school district's business and it's not to be considered a public community meeting. The agenda reserves two periods for public participation and those wishing to receive a personal response from the board or superintendent must complete a public comment form available at the meeting entrance and on our
002website. Upon request to the superintendent, the district shall make reasonable accommodation for a person with disabilities to be able to participate in this meeting. We have a lot of new faces here tonight. So, I just want to give a quick introduction on the plan for this evening before we run with our agenda. Um, this is a special board meeting focused on a single topic tonight. We will begin with our second public hearing on the proposed sexed curriculum. We will ask for anyone wishing to provide public comment on the sexed curriculum to use the public hearing comment period for that. If you would like to speak to the board about a different topic, we would ask for you to wait for the first public participation period, which will be immediately following. Um, following these comment periods,
003the board will begin discussion of the curriculum that was submitted to us by the sexed advisory board. No board of ed member was part of the committee that put the curriculum together. It is our responsibility to evaluate the curriculum, not to develop it. This will be the first time that our board has had a chance to speak to each other about the curriculum and there's a lot of material for us to review. This period of the meeting is for the board only to speak to each other. Um, I also want to make sure everyone understands that tonight's meeting is being recorded and because we know that there's a high level of interest in the meeting, the district will be prioritizing getting the recording uploaded to YouTube. Um, and it should be there by the end
004of the day tomorrow. You will be able to find it from the district home page through the through the board link or you can just go to the YouTube channel. Um, and please remember if you make public comment that you will be on this video. Guests tonight can slip out whenever you wish. We won't be offended. Please just move down the hall a bit before beginning conversations. And if you could take a minute to silence your cell phones at this point, that would be helpful. Finally, I would just want to say that this room is filled with people who care about kids and about this community. We know this topic is personal and emotional. We are parents and spouses also. We appreciate everyone's good intentions and commitment to this process and thank you for trusting
005us to represent you. Can you please call the role? >> Mr. here >> here. >> Mr. >> Here >> Mr. Brand >> here. >> Okay, we have meeting minutes to approve from November 3rd. >> I'll move that the board of education. >> Second. >> We have a motion and a second. Any discussion? All those in favor of approving the meeting meeting minutes as presented say I. I. I. Any opposed? We have an agenda. The board policy provides the superintendent of schools shall prepare an agenda for all boards meetings as directed by the president of the board of education. >> We have a motion and a second. Any discussion? All those in favor of approving the agenda as presented, please say I. >> I. Any opposed? Okay, first up is our public hearing and I am
006going to read again because we have a lot of newas our um our principles and rules for public comment. During public comment, each speaker is allotted a maximum of five minutes. To help us keep time and ensure equity, you will hear a timer ring when you have 30 seconds left. Each speaker will be asked to announce their name and district of residence and indicate if they represent any organization or agency. No person may speak more than once on the same subject during a single meeting. Those wishing to receive a personal response from the board or superintendent with regard to a specific question should complete a public comment form available at the meeting entrance. As presiding officer, I would like to remind everyone that public comments should pertain to Dexter Community School District matters and concerns
007related to the operation of the schools or to matters within the authority of the board. Tonight during our public hearing, all comments should be about the sexide curriculum. Those who wish to speak shall direct all comments to the board and not to staff or other participants. Speakers addressing the board shall take into consideration rules of common courtesy. Speakers who make attacks of a personal nature and or who do not buy abide by the rules of common courtesy will be reminded of such rules by the board president. Such individuals may be asked to leave the meeting if their behavior is disruptive or interferes with the orderly progress of the meeting. Also, please understand that board members did not respond to public comments during the meeting, but we will listen very carefully and we'll follow up as
008appropriate. If there is an immediate need for clarification, we will do so after the speaker's aotted time. We have a full stack of comment cards here today. And to help me keep straight, I'm probably just going to start pulling uh one after another. So, thank you in advance for just going with the flow on the order. So, first up, I have Mara Greater X. I think I remember how to work this thing. Good evening, Lord. It's been a while, but I I secretly said I to the approval of the minutes. I want to begin by extending a sincere thank you to the sex ed advisory board committee for their work, their collaboration, and their dedication to reviewing this curriculum. I also want to thank the board for creating so many opportunities for the public to
009view the proposed materials and to share comments and concerns throughout the process. I am a parent of two Dexter community school graduates. Although I no longer have a child in the district who will directly benefit from the committee's work, I felt compelled to speak in support of the proposed curriculum because of my experience as a former Dexter school board trustee. For context, the committee's work is not optional. It is guided by and constrained by Michigan law. School districts are required to provide instruction about dangerous communicable diseases, including HIV, AIDS. This instruction must be offered at least once a year at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. The law also requires that HIV AIDS and sex education instruction prioritize abstinence as a responsible and effective method of preventing unplanned pregnancy and STI and that is
010the only method that is 100% effective. The laws governing this area are very specific. They mandate that instruction be age appropriate and medically accurate. discuss the benefits of abstaining from sex until mana marriage and the benefits of stopping sexual activity if a student is already sexually active. Uh it should cover emotional, economic and legal consequences of sex. It should emphasize that unplanned pregnancy and STI are serious risks that cannot fully prevent be prevented except through abstinence. It should inform students of their legal responsibilities as parents. teach students to say no to sexual advances and to understand that taking advantage of, exploiting or harassing someone is wrong. It should teach refusal skills and encourage students to resist pressure to engage in risky behavior. It should reinforce that students have the power to control their own behavior
011and encourage them to act without reasoning, self-discipline, responsibility, and respect for themselves and others. It should provide instruction on healthy dating relationships, setting limits, and recognizing potential dangerous situations. Other information about adoption services and the safe delivery delivery of newborn laws. It should clearly inform students that sexual contact with anyone under the age of 16 is a crime punishable by imprisonment and that conviction may result in mandatory inclusion on sex the sex offender registry. Given these legal requirements, I want to emphasize that the committee's recommendations are simply are not simply matters of preference or ideology. They are carefully constructed to align with the state law, to be medically accurate, and to support the safety and well-being of our students in the in the community schools. In addition, this curriculum is inclusive and ensures that students
012learn about bodily autonomy, boundaries, and healthy relationships. And it is my belief that the proposed curriculum provides students with an age appropriate information that will help them navigate adolescence with confidence, make informed decisions, and advocate for themselves, and seek help when they need it. Ultimately, this curriculum equips our students with the knowledge and skills they need to stay safe, respect others, and understand their own development. I urge the board to support this committee's recommendations. Thank you. >> Thank you. question or >> okay um thank you for having me here John live school district uh three kids just graduated from here um thank you so much for the board for what you do for the community and your desire to really be here for the Uh, I want to speak today with some concerns I have
013about the the material that's in this excite. I think a lot of it is good, but there's some concerns that I have. I have a PhD in aerospace engineering, which basically says I'm not an expert on this, but I do have experience in doing research and trying to really dig into publicity. Uh, with that being said, I wanted to respond. At least last week I heard one uh comment that um this material uh leads to an LGBT supportive climate and there's a lot of data that support that and when I dug into the data I found it lacking so at least that can't be explainiated. There's two reports I found. Um, one from looking at Minnesota data and they even talked about their own uh limitations that precluded statements of causation and it did not
014have information on other school-based efforts used to combat bullying or promote support for LGBTQ youth. So, the LGBT specific indicators assessed here could have been a proxy for other bullying prevention activities in broader climates. Uh the other report that I looked into uh was a meta analysis looking at a lot of a lot of um reports. The the title of it was supportive school strategies for sexually and gender diverse students. A metaanalysis uh and they looked at comparing enumerated policies with bullying victimization experiences and school safety feelings. Also looked at curriculum of those things. Both of those had our values that were less than one. And for those who don't understand that, that means it's really poor. So there really is not really a connection or it's very very weak between being able to point
015to those like um approaches and being able to accomplish that goal. Um so at least when I looked at it, it may be that, but the data is not out there to support that. Um I'd like to talk briefly because gender identity is part of the curriculum. I'd like to to point on that to just express concern. Um and to do that we have to talk a little bit about the sensitive topic of transgenderism because gender identity kind of is connected and leads to uh connected very strongly transgender. Uh studies from 2016 and before showed that 61 to 98 98% of gender in congruent children desisted from the trans identification by the time they were adults. So most of them if you didn't do anything by the time they were adults they become comfortable in
016their uh natal sex. um and most of those tended to be uh be gay. Um current data uh from a previous report in 2022 showed that early intervention actually the gender um in congruence actually persisted which means that now students they tended to to keep that that different gender identity uh where they hadn't been before and so something has changed. um you might think that's a good thing in terms of curriculum, but I would caution and say that all these people before wouldn't have had difficulty adjusting um didn't take other interventions whereas now students are getting interventions potentially uh that lead to like hormone interventions um that can have consequences like bone health, brain development and sexuality, cardiovascular health as well as risk of infertility and sterility. So there's some real dangers. Uh in this
017case we really have to pay attention to dransitioners. That's a group that often is kind of overlooked. People don't want to talk about them because it kind of goes against um what some people believe. There is a report um out from 2021 which interviewed 100 transitioners. This is in the archives of sexual behavior. I'm just going to comment on a couple of the comments that came out of it. One, the reason they gave and by the way these were people who actually did have medical and surgical uh intervention and then making transition back. uh one of the reasons for dransitioning they g they give lots in there but my personal definition of female and male changed and I became more comfortable ident identifying as my natal sex for natal females it was 65% of the
018respondents and 48% of the males so effectively they became more comfortable it even though they had already transition uh there also comments about self- appraisal and identifying as transgend transgender in the past a couple of the comments that that they came out one was what I thought were feelings of being transgender actually results of trauma that was 45% natal female 16% natal male another comment was what I thought were feelings of being transgender actually result of metal is that my time >> 30 seconds >> okay uh I'm going to conclude by saying um the existing scientific data is weak to support the benefits of the correct bullying or sex environment which we all want me my kids experience bullying I I want a safe environment the risk of harm from gender affirming approach is actually
019high and quite consequential. So you got to make sure you get this right because there's a lot of them out there that are really people are suffering. And I'm worried that attempt to bring clarity on the subject, we actually bring confusion. So in this case, I'd say no to curriculum, but I'd ask you really to focus and try to really really try to take what I've got here and just evaluate to make sure that there there is no under concentrators. Thank you. I've got Jessica Frost. Good evening. My name is Jessica Frost. I currently reside in Dexter and lived at the district for over 50 years. I'm a proud graduate of Dexter Schools and my two kids currently attend Dexter schools. This community isn't just where I live, it's where I've built my life, where
020I've raised my family, and where I've watched generations of kids grow and learn. I'm here tonight to speak in support of the proposed sexual health education curriculum and I urge the board of education to adopt it. First, I want to thank the sex education advisory board or CF for the countless hours they dedicated to developing this curriculum. For those who may not be aware, this advisory board was comprised of Dexter Community School students, parents, educators, local clergy, and health professionals. This wasn't a decision made behind closed doors by people who don't understand our community. This was a collaborative effort that included input gathered from parents, students, staff, and community members. Importantly, the CI was also tasked with ensuring the curriculum adheres to the requirements mandated by Michigan sex education laws. They did their homework. They
021listened. They built something that reflects both the legal requirements and The resulting curriculum is comprehensive, factual, medically accurate, and inclusive. These are the standards our children deserve. Let me take a moment here to talk about inclusivity and why it's so important. Being inclusive doesn't mean promoting any particular lifestyle or belief system. It simply means acknowledging reality. Our community includes many types of people and families and this curriculum acknowledges that they exist. When they tell every student, regardless of who they are or what their family looks like, it's okay. You belong here. This is a safe community. We're not pushing an agenda. We're offering basic human dignity. Inclusive schools matter because they provide equal learning opportunities for all students. They foster empathy and respect for diversity. They build a stronger sense of community. And here's what
022the research shows. The research that I've reviewed. Inclusive education benefits all students by improving both academic and social skills. It prepares all children to thrive in a diverse society by breaking down stigma and discrimination. Our students, our students right here in Dexter have asked for a more inclusive curriculum. They made their voices heard. They see their classmates. They know their community. They're asking us to create a learning environment where everyone matters. Where accurate information is paired with compassion and where respect for all people and their stated identity is the foundation. Why does this matter? Let me share some facts that should concern all of us. LGBTQ youth are at a higher risk of suicide, anxiety, and depression. But it's not because of who they are. Tragically, it's because of how they are treated by others.
023When they are made to feel invisible, ashamed, or when an adult or peer invalidates their very existence, when we see the devastating and sometimes even deadly consequences. But here's the hopeful part. Research shows that comprehensive, affirming education reduce these risks. Students with inclusive curricula have lower rates of bullying and stronger mental health and academic outcomes. And that's for all students, not just LGBTQ students. When we create an environment of facts, empathy, and respect, everyone benefits. The CF worked hard to create something that is comprehensive, actual, medically accurate, and yes, inclusive and affirming of every student in our schools. They balance community input, legal requirements, educational best practices, and student needs. And yet, critically, if a parent wants to opt their child out of any part or all of these lessons, they absolutely can. That right
024is protected. I urge the board of education to adopt this proposed curriculum. Our children deserve accurate information about their health. They deserve to feel safe and accepted and they deserve to learn in an environment that prepares them for the diverse world we live in together. Thank you. >> Thank you very much. Henderson is on deck. >> Thank you very much. U my name is Richard Pallol. I have two students who are currently enrolled in the Dexter High School. So I'm certainly a parent here. What I'd like to talk about just briefly is is actually Alexander Graanbell, which might surprise you, but you may not know this about Alexander Bell, but he was very anti-ASL teaching. And because he had influence over the school policies, it it turns out that people students were not taught ASL
025and those that needed that instruction were also denied that instruction. And that is kind of crazy, right? If you look at it enough, I came to you and said, "We need to ban ASL instruction." you would look at me like I'm nuts because that would be something that we all accept as true that people who are heart of hearing in fact need instruction that meets their specific needs, right? Um so I think we could argue that is beneficial for both people who are heart of hearing and to those those who are not to learn ASL. We teach it here in Dexter, right? Um and it is good for both of those communities to foster that understanding of each other. as opposed to segregating them and saying, "Well, you don't get to learn this and you
026also, even though you need it, don't get to learn." Um, so I would suggest that we use the Alexander Granbell anti-ASL policies that school boards like this school board adopted all across the country, right? and and because that is where those decisions get made and we want to avoid I want to avoid having in my community a systematic policy that discriminates against a minority students because that in our whole community is really not that helpful for anyone frankly. Um so with that in mind I would ask that the board consider adop rejecting policies right which discriminate against this small set of students and accepting the policies that are actually inclusive and because that inclusivity is which which Jessica was speaking to is better for the students and our community at large. Thank you very much.
027Henderson and Bruce. >> Okay. Um, good evening members of the board. My name is Alison Denderson. I'm a producer graduate. I've returned to this area with my husband to raise our family, two young children very far away. I'm here because I care deeply about the welling of my children and all the children in our schools like everybody else that's here and of course yourselves. Um my position is for a strong health education. I support honest instruction that teaches biology, anatomy, health, consent, technology and um disease prevention consistent with Michigan law. Um, I believe several modules of the curriculum meet those goals do a great job of addressing topics that weren't discussed when I was younger. Um, you know, consent and like specifically like the technology and um, that kind of kind of a thing. Um,
028however, I think others fall really outside of the scope. Um, and just to be specific, I think for example, in grade five, the proposed curriculum intro gender identity lessons using terms like male-bodied and female body. And then by grade seven, students are shown videos portraying um gender and sexual identity as fully fluid um condoning multiple partners and using like many flavors of ice cream or toppings on a salad to explore who you are and what you want without without really addressing like the long-term consequences that are possible. Um lessons like these present I think ideology a scientific fact and that in my opinion doesn't really belong in public education. Um, kids face a ton of sexualized content from periods of social media and I don't I don't believe school should necessarily add to that but
029should model leadership and boundaries and responsibility and respect for everybody. Um, we know research in Alice and development shows that judgment and impulse control regions are still maturing well into the mid20s and we're seeing now like in the data that referrals for youth gender services have increased several um by as much as 8 to 20 times in the past decade in some countries including our own um international reviews have looked are looking into and have looked into this surge including the UK cas which is more than 23,000 youth referrals for gender related care along with other global analyses point to strong social and online influences as um possible major contributors to the rise in gender identity expir exploration among youth. But the number of people that are continuously meeting that diagnostic criteria of persistent early
030onset gender dysphoria has remained relatively stable. So I guess what I'm saying is I I believe gender dysphoria is a real medical condition and inclusivity is important um and that a small you know group of children in the population genuinely struggle with that. But if research suggests that, you know, kids are vulnerable to social pressures and that much of the recent rise in gender identity confusion is coming from social and media influence rather than true clinical dysphoria. Why would we design social or school lessons to reinforce those same pressures? Um to me doing so risk stands confusion instead of providing clarity, compassion, and support to the kids that are truly struggling with that. Um, this is a topic close to my family. A teenage family member began transitioning at 14 with the full support of
031her mother who is a caring healthcare professional who wanted the best for her daughter. And even without love and support from both parents, she's faced repeated suicide attempts and ongoing mental health crisis today. Um, even after social and medical transition, her experience underscores to me that these struggles require passion and great caution. um and not promotion as an or in our schools. Um I've heard, you know, supporters of gender affirming approaches often site like short-term studies showing reduced distress or reduced risk of suicide when transitions are supported socially or medically. Yet those improvements almost always occur alongside stronger family involvement, continued counseling, close followup, all things known to help any struggling child. Um, and most of these risks are looking only at a few months to a few years on outcomes that tell us a
032little bit little about what happens long term. Um, at at best the long-term data are limited and at worst they reveal concerning outcomes because the United the US doesn't have like a lot of long-term data yet. So, we have um there's some from other countries. Sweden's national registry found suicide rates 19 times higher among people who had gone um gender affirming surgery and that's like looking up through 20 I think it's 2021 and then Denmark did a similar study eight times higher suicide rate for kids who either socially or medically transitioned and what I'm saying is these things show that transitioning um and promoting that kind of like talk the suicide risk can and struggle that they're facing remains substantially elevated. It doesn't solve the problems that they're facing based on the evidence that we
033have today or the evidence that I could I spent a lot of time looking at this. Um, is that my time? Okay. So I respectfully ask you to reject or revise the current the curriculum modules that promote gender identity theory, hypersexualized content or redefinitions of biological sex and to establish accountability for offcurricular discussions. um introducing that technology and C. Um I am a parent of four. Three of my children are current in Dexter schools and one will be joining soon. Um that said, I'm here tonight um to express my strong opposition to certain portions of the proposed curriculum. Um particularly the sections dealing with gender identity and sexual orientation. I would like to be very clear. I do believe that all students should be treated with kindness, respect, and dignity. But I do believe there
034is a very real difference between teaching respect for all people and teaching theories about identity and sexuality that are highly controversial and against the faiths and beliefs of so many families in our district. Our schools have a responsibility to provide education that is rooted in clear factual age appropriate information. Gender identity and sexual orientations are conversations that belong at the in the home with parents and guardians who know their children best and can guide them according to their family's values. It's not about discrimination or intolerance, but recognizing that parents have a fundamental right and responsibility to shape their children's understanding of moral and highly personal issues. Let's keep our curriculum focused on what is factual, medically accurate, and age appropriate. Topics like anatomy, reproduction, consent, diseases, and respect. Let families handle the rest. Conversations about
035beliefs, identities, and values are best had around the dinner, not a classroom. I urge the board to remove these portions of the proposed curriculum and to ensure that they reflect that distinction that factual education belongs in the school and personal formation of the students belongs in the home. Thank you. Um I am a new parent to the school board. Um I have one son and I have another son that is co-op preschool. Um and I am currently at the president cooperative preschool and I want to say I start with we I was working the classes today and one of the major things that we are doing right now at the very at three years old is teaching this empathy passion for others that are different than you. And it starts that young where you look
036at other kids that might be different than you and you start judging and you start making opinions. And I think that the earlier that we teach our kids to be empathetic, to be kind to others, no matter what they their background is, no matter what they believe, no matter what they think of as themselves, um to teach empathy. And I think part of teaching empathy is also teaching us definitions of how people relate. And I think when we talk about the gender identity roles and I know this is a hot topic right now. I think it is important that we teach those definitions. I don't think that we are necessarily promoting anyone to transition. And yes, I agree that is a very deeply personal decision. But I don't think the schools are saying hey everybody
037let's go transition now. That's not what we're doing. We are presenting clear factual evidence that has been updated. The whole point of this update, the sexual um board or the sex ed board is that our data is old. It has not been updated in so long. I have friends who have lended best, you know, 15, 20 years ago and it's about the same, you know. So, we are trying to get up with the trends. And you know what? Part of that is teaching empathy. And it's not the same that it used to be. It's the ideologies and the science and the data are different. times change and I think that teaching and learning from our past will help our children do the same going forward. I think that um teaching this empathy and teaching everyone
038to respect is number one. And I also encourage anybody that's here at this meeting to also think about how you would like your children to be treated and how you would like them to be treated if in the event that they ever end up coming out or having any kind of discussions. I would rather in my household have them come to me with open arms, but I also think that they should be supported by their educators, by their peers. Um I don't think anyone should be holding anything back and be ashamed by anybody who their true self is. Um and a little bit about the rest of the curriculum. I support the added consent topics, the um the added technology topics. I hope that you guys um I'm not sure what exactly age you guys
039start doing it is talking about technology. I know that you guys added it. Um, but I'm hoping it's before sixth grade because I've heard of sixth grades sending a lot of inappropriate messages and photos. So, I really hope we can hone in on that before sixth grade. Um, and I just want to say thank you for serving on the board and thank you guys. Um, thank you to the school board for listening. Um, and I hope you guys take into account that um, you know, this changes our entire community. Teaching respect in all ways, especially this one. Um, I think we'll do make the world a better place. >> Thank you. Right. Good evening. My name is Will Johnson and my wife Ashley and I moved from in our to Dexter right in the heat
040of CO during 2020 and really we wanted to start a family here. Um this really felt like a place that reflected our values uh which was family oriented and well-rounded community. And since moving here, we've been blessed to be able to welcome two beautiful daughters into this world they're now forward to. We're truly grateful to be able to call Dexter home. Uh we first came here, Dexter felt like the small town America that we've honestly been searching for. Uh but lately, it's been gone to feel like some of the same influences that pushed us out of Ann Arbor are finding their way here. Instead of Dexter shaping shaping the people who move here, it feels like outside ideas are beginning to shape Dexter. And I think the proposed updates to our sex education curriculum, I
041believe, are a very clear example of this. The message in the original email that we all received about these updates seemed very harmless at first. You know, it mentioned that the current materials were outdated using VHS tapes and Xerox copies and that the goal was simply, at least from what I gather, move to digital resources to make it easier on the teachers. To be quite honest with you, it sounded like a reasonable request. And honestly, I totally dismissed the detail. When I was encouraged by a friend to really take a closer look at what was actually being proposed, I realized that the changes go far beyond updating the format, changing the content and direction completely. And after seeing some of the proposed content, um, proposed videos, I was honestly shocked. I was alarmed that this
042is what was going to be taught to my two little girls. These videos were uncomfortable for me to watch as an adult, and I can't imagine showing this to my two kids. in general. In fact, when I try to pull this up on my work computer, it was blocked. >> What's being presented to our kids is not traditional sex education focused on how anatomy at center introducing social concepts and ideology as facts in a classroom setting. It's sex education to teach biological facts, how the human body works. That's how so many of us in this room were taught. I think we should ask ourselves in in light of that, do you think the kids are better off emotionally, mentally we were growing up? So I think we can all answer that easily. I think the
043stats are there. I think there's so much more depression, anxiety, mental health issues for kids today. And I truly believe a lot of that stems from these topics that we're discussing. The role of helping children navigate relationships, self-worth, identity, and values belongs first and foremost to parents. I know these conversations can be uncomfortable and I'm not looking forward to having these with my two daughters as they get older. But it's my duty as a dad. It's our duty as a parent. I remember my own parents struggling through them kind of fumbling over their words. But that's our job as moms and dads. Our kids need to hear from us, not some videos that don't reflect our values. One of the videos I watched began with a song by Katy Perry. I kissed a girl and
044I liked it. went on to highlight different relationship types, presenting them all as equals. First, it was lesbian, then it was gay, then it was a straight couple. But nowhere was there a message affirming the proven stability benefits of committed marriage between a man and a woman. It swung so far the other way. We all remember what it was like to grow up. We were all teenagers at one point. A lot of confusion, a lot of insecurity. Um, you know, those years are hard enough. And I don't feel like we should add confusion with messages that are going to cause even more doubt to progress later in life. The same email mentioned that the sex ed advisory board includes diverse viewpoints and ideological backgrounds. But if this proposal represents middle ground, I would argue that
045there are there's no one at the board with conservative traditional values like myself. Like if you're looking for volunteers, I'm sure there's many of us here who would gladly volunteer. The argument that you're going to hear tonight though is that you can opt out, right? But if you're like the majority of other people who totally dismissed this email, you're unaware of the risk by letting your kids sit through this class. I'm not up here just on behalf of my kids, but I'm also up here on behalf of my kids future friends and the community my kids hopefully grandkids are going to be surrounded by. So, in closing to the board, the decisions that you make matter. The decisions that you make here have a lasting impact on our kids and others. I don't believe this
046curriculum reflects what most stra families want for their kids. I faith that this board is going to listen to this community tonight, make the right decision by rejecting those curricul Good evening. My name is Justin Peters. I'm a Dexter resident. Uh my wife and I, we have two little boys in the Dexter Elementary School, second and fourth grade. Um as a parent, I recognize that we have an opportunity to partner with our schools and our boards and to work together. Uh based on u some of the changes proposed to the sex education curriculum, I do have concerns as a parent. Specifically, I do not support the controversial elements of the proposed curriculum, especially for elementary and middle school students. Uh they do promote a worldview centered on gender identity, gender ideology, and training even about
047children and how they should be attracted to other children. Instead, as a parent and a public health professional, I do support the prescribed role of the SCAD from its website that in accordance with the state of Michigan, the role of the SEAB is to establish programs and goals and objectives for pupil knowledge and skills that are likely to reduce the rates of sex, pregnancy, and sexually transmitted diseases and that school districts that offer sex education are required to teach the A through K standards. So, I do support this. I similarly support the SEAB mission statement from the website to review and recommend materials and methods regarding trends in teenage pregnancy rates, sexually transmiss transmitted disease rates and incidents of sexual violence and harassment. So it appears that this is a report requirement from the SCAB
048at least every two years. I did search the website. I couldn't find anything on that topic. Uh but perhaps I did look in the wrong place. So, um, as we know, uh, a lot of the sex education material that is offered is not mandatory. It is not required. The school board decides whether or not to have sex education, and if it chooses to do so, it has to follow the SEAB model. And as such, I'm requesting that SEAB fulfill its charter reason for existence related to these A through standards and not perpetuate the proposed controversial worldview changes to the sex education curriculum. Uh in closing, I am thankful to the Supreme Court of the US for their decision that requires a school uh to provide parental option for opting out of sex education. Um however,
049it would be much better to partner with our schools as parents um and to partner with our boards and to work together so that children can have the best opportunity to flourish. Thanks for your time. said you couldn't find something on the website. I just wanted to make sure I know what you couldn't find on that. >> It says that every two years at minimum there's a requirement to provide report. >> So you're looking for the report? >> Yes, ma'am. >> I just had to change the link. >> We'll verify it. Thank you. >> This is Britney Jones and I have Rushy on deck. Uh hello first off yeah my name is Joe we're in the next three kids all of which will go through um thank you for all the effort that you and
050also the FBA coordinates put in the last two years into this purpose I as well as other parents can appreciate what went into this and the time that two boys on families and other priorities in their life my education and degree are in family marriage studies. In preparation to this, I consulted a doctor and a professional in the marriage and family science field to gauge their professional opinion on this curriculum. After reviewing the content and current research, there were concerns with the curriculum in the elementary school. We were concerned that some aspects of the curriculum were not developmentally appropriate for the states. Topics such as gender identity versus sex, gender expression, and sexual preferences are inappropriate at this age due to the children not being able to understand depth and the complexity of these issues.
051Introducing children to these topics too early could lead to anxiety and confusion. For example, in 2017 in an elementary school classroom in Rockland, California, the book I am gas read, many parents reported that their children came terrified that they would change to the opposite gender. This is due to their inability to comprehend gender dysphoria to the degree needed when handling such a sensitive issue. Professionals worry that introduction to these topics too early would lead to children beginning questioning their own expression and identity when otherwise they may have not been with the idea until they updated data suggests that about 2% of children struggle with gender. Among that percentage given from three different large scale studies and a few smaller ones um a range from 60 to 90% of children who struggle with gender dysphoria will
052no longer um identify as trans when they reach. We as parents understand and can only imagine the difficulty as educators that of those children who are struggling with these topics at these young age. I can imagine how hard that is. Um, they of course need love and support from home and from school. Yet, we need to work together to come up with other alternatives besides presenting other children with topics they are not emotionally ready. We know and appreciate you wanting the best for our children. To accomplish this, we're asking the board to push the curriculum to be taught later, preferably out of elementary school to allow children more time to develop both emotionally and physically before being presented. for your convenience. Um, if you're interested, I emailed the study. >> Thank you. >> Rashi and
053Ashley on. >> Hi, I'm Carrie Rashki, father of two sons that attend Creekide and Mil Creek. You know, I wish I could get uh sit here and give a great speech to try to persuade the board of ed to not approve curriculum that include gender identity and sexuality discussion, but my experience over the past two years as a CF member, I quickly learned that this plan was the underlying agenda. From the creation of the community survey for the teacher review of the curriculum, the pressure to be inclusive was the main goal. I consistently questioned why a basic reproductive health course needed to include gender ideology based on this curriculum which this is one of the side the slide that I'm referring to. So this is the first uh very first slide and the curriculum that
054is brought up about gender identity. So based on the critical mist, gender identity is derived from inside feelings, thoughts and the head is circled. Sex assigned at birth is outside the body and the genitalia are circle. We can argue science and the rarity of the occurrence of flying culture syndrome orphrodite. But you what you will not find in this entire curriculum is any explanation explanation of gender identity linked to chromosomal differences or biology. Therefore, per this curriculum, gender identity is solely based on thoughts and feelings. This is considered an ideology. Sex headed should be taught two groups. Those with a penis and those with a vagina, regardless which gender you feel you are. As a fifth grader, they just need to know what to do when they start menrating or hair in certain places or
055have body order. They don't need a teacher telling them to question their gender or sexuality. The state of Michigan sex objective is simple. to reduce sex, STDs, and pregnancies, not to define a child's personal identity. The board was only presented with updated curriculum that included inclusive language. It was passed on to teachers for review with the guidance of the county health coordinator, Danielle Dro. I brought up concerns with this advice because Miss Dro stated that she had a strong appeal for the 3R comprehensive curriculum, but admitted and received controversial feedback that it was progressive. Review of her social media content revealed that she is pro-choice and refers to women as those born with the uterus. I share my concern with the bias and was told by Mr. Brutder and the two co-chairs who are also
056Dexter teachers that we would monitor this review. The problem is all three of these CIA members are in favor including gender identity in the new curriculum. The final results, as you can see, is a very progressive curriculum and it was quickly moved to a vote. Once it was recognized that those in favor of the LGBTQ movement had the majority vote, there was no room for compromise. It was designed to make you think that there are separate gender identity and sexual orientation days that are optable. But in reality, the entire curriculum includes this ideology using terms as male or female body, reproductive system one and two in place of male and female parts a man usually has or a person born with a vulva or dehumanizing. Those in opposition made several motions to move this to
057a more appropriate age, provide LGBTQ material as a supplement sent home to those families interested since this is the minority group. Have this taught as an opt in. I still haven't been given an explanation by the board of ed why this can't be an opt-in like it was in the past because now you just made this ideology will be default curriculum for any parents who aren't aware of what's actually being taught. The most reasonable option we motion was to have a basic sex ed course followed by an additional day of LGBTQ but again there was no room for compromise at that point. I didn't care what the point of was being on a member of CF if you didn't agree with this ideology. My biggest concern is that after the curricul this curriculum p passes,
058it only gets worse from here. Already on the agenda for the next CF meeting in December is the frequently asked questions document that was tabled in May's meeting. This document is meant to provide standardized answers to student questions and sex that are not covered in the curriculum. One question, for example, is what is oral and anal sex? Uh Mr. Arnold, do you feel comfortable talking about perhaps a fifth grade 11-year-old boy what anal sex is and then further explain that this can be done between a boy and a girl and a boy and boy because we you know we need to be inclusive. I assume your answer would be no. So why would you expect Mr. Lro the Creek Health teacher to do so? Next sample question is what is gender spectrum? The answer, one's
059deep personal sense of being male, female, both, neither, something else or fluid identity that shifts over time. So what if a Dexter health teacher doesn't believe in this ideology? Does a board of ed expecting them to teach regardless? What happens at the next CF review enough? Is gender affirming medical care going to be taught? Why not? Where do we draw the line? In summary, I urge the board obviously to decline the proposed curriculum, send it back to the Cub to create a curriculum that doesn't just represent one ideology, but is inclusive of the entire community's interest, gender ideology, and sexual orientation material needs to be completely separate from the basic reproductive health. Each board of ed member needs to prove to the tax community that they are not voting with a personal bias because currently
060a large part of the community board of ed trust with a lack of transparency. The public announcement from the superintendent didn't include any details that the proposed curriculum would include this controversial subject and I believe this was done on purpose. >> Yep. We'll wrap it up. >> Yep. Lastly, I urge parents to pay more attention to what's being taught in the general curriculum. We stand here today to fight to keep LGBTQ material out of sexed, but in reality, it's it's currently being taught as broke sexed in everyday curriculum. Deck had a transgender assembly. I am J chose the book Jacob's New Dress for March's reading month. >> I'm sorry. We we have to cut it. We have to be fair. >> Love you, Carrie. Okay. Have a good evening. Feel free to email the comments
061to the board, too, if you'd like to make sure that everyone's email and Matthew. >> Hello, my name is Ashley Whan. I am speaking as a concerned parent and community member to respectfully express my opposition to the adoption of the sex juice education curriculum in our district. I believe this particular program does not align with the developmental needs of our students, the values of many families in Dexter or the principle of local control and education. The state of Michigan guidelines of sex education are clearly defined and do not include any requirements or mandates to teach topics related to gender identity or sexual orientation. I am therefore concerned that this proposed curriculum curriculum extends beyond the state's A through standards and introduces controversial concepts not required by law. The curriculum takes a riskbased approach to sexual
062behavior, but an affirmationon approach to gender identity and sexual orientation. This one-sided presentation lacks the balance necessary for critical thinking and informed decisionmaking. Throughout the materials, male and female terminology is omitted. Removing sex-based terminology risk confusing students about fundamental biological processes. Students deserve a strong foundation in human biology before being introduced to subjective social theories. While some may view that this curriculum as inclusive, many others in our community believe that it introduces complex and sensitive topics about gender and sexuality that may confuse children or conflict with deeply held religious and cultural beliefs. In its current form, the curriculum prioritizes ideology over biological fact. The caregiver survey conducted by the district reportedly reached 3,500 parents but excluded other community stakeholders such as residents without current students and senior citizens. Individuals who remain important voting members of
063this community. Their survey questions that combine gender, sexual orientation, and respect may have led respondents towards certain answers. Disagreement with gender ideology does not equate to disrespect. Importantly, nearly a quarter of respondents oppose the inclusion of ideology and sexual orientation content. A significant clear portion of the community does not support these topics being taught in our schools. I also noted several inaccuracies in the meeting lens of sex education advisory board which undermines public trust in the process. For example, here are two. On May 7th, attendance was reported as only 10 members, yet 12 votes were casted. Where are these two additional members coming from? On May 21st, attendance was listed as 12 members, but votes were casted by 13 again. Why are these meeting minutes inaccur inaccurate and have a discrepancy for voting and members
064actually present? These inconsistencies calls into question the accuracy of the official record and therefore the legitimacy of subsequent votes. Further, the CF roster is misleading. It includes a member without a child in the district and an unidentified individual whose presence affects the required parental representative ratio. State guidelines clearly require that one of two CF co-chairs must be a parent of a current student, but both co-chairs are district employees. Yes, one may have a student that goes to Dexter, but the state guidelines state that that being an employee trumps being a parent. Does this potentially violate the state regulations? I also have not seen the proper documentation that the state of Michigan requires to be a senior supervisor. Has this been filed with the department of education. I'm calling into question whether the current CB supervisor
065possesses the credentials to be the supervisor of this advisory board. In two CB meetings that I personally attended, the sessions were directed by the Cab supervisor rather than the co-chair, raising additional procedural concerns. Finally, I must address the issue of potential bias among the board of education member following the November 3rd meeting. Board treasurer posted publicly on social media regarding the curriculum debate, including details not yet reflected in approved minutes. Her post reflected clear opinions favoring one side of the issue, creating an appearance of prejudgment. This appears inconsistent with the DCS board social media guidelines and calls into question impartiality in future votes. I respectfully request that she recuse herself from voting on this matter. If she declines to do so, I urge the board to review her actions and consider a motion for her
066to abstain. I respectfully request that the board reject the adoption of the curriculum and reopen discussion for a more balanced community aligned alternative. >> Thank you. Good evening board members. My name is Matthew Corn. I'm a father of two daughters and husband uh of my wife is a family in Dexter. Um we've been very pleased with the school system. grateful for this opportunity to speak to the board this evening certainly for the efforts of the seab uh who I believe and cannot question that they've faithfully executed due diligence and looking at the A2K standards uh the state of Michigan standards and all uh considerations applicable to law for sexual education. Um personally, uh I I have some concerns with the curriculum. Uh but as as a scientist by training and in daily practice, um I
067uh look at interventions and clinical trials to improve the lives of patients. So if I take a look at this from a really unbiased approach, uh what I have to evaluate is whether the the interventions which in this case we would refer to as the curriculum address a gap in education and care. So, uh, what I was unable to to identify or find, uh, but I would really challenge and encourage the the board here as well as the SEAB to produce and transparency is their evaluation of the gaps in education for the children of the Dexter School District and how this curriculum, as it goes for each age, each group, and each topic address the gaps that they identified ahead of time. And I would encourage you as you approve the curriculum to understand how
068each of these interventions will then improve upon the lives of our children and their education as they received in the Dexter School District. Further, I would say there's no intervention that takes place without considering um its replacement with with something else. So, if we're spending more time educating on uh topics that may or may not improve based on data, evidence, other uh school districts and countries that have explored these worldwide, then perhaps we should focus more on reading map where scores can easily be monitored and proved and do so on a daily basis. um this is also part of your responsibility as a boardman. So these things have to be considered in full. So I come to you most importantly as as a parent today but really looking at this in a biased way. I
069think there are gaps in the way that this process was was proceeded. Um we can have a curriculum but if the curriculum does not meet the goals, expectations and aims essentially we will fail our children and the students and the school and scrubs and burn is >> my name is Scrugs. I'm a parent here. Um, we're a 13-year-old boy. I have my degrees in biological psychology and a masters in public health or hospital molecular epidemiology. So, I feel like and I was also a part of the board which was been a great great time and I feel like we really use our time well and we really got to see everybody's opinions. Yes, not everybody agrees, but we tried to do our best to work together. And the SEB SEAB, they worked with the students.
070We had three. We had the teachers. Not only do we have the teachers on the board, but we also had teachers come in and review the curriculum and really give us their information, what they felt that our kids need. They see them every day, sometimes more than we do. We really need to take into consideration what these teachers looked at all the curriculums and said this is what we need. We also involved parents and people were allowed to come to these meetings and tell us their give us their and then we also I mean just the general community we had people who were not parents. That's true. We had uh a very large group that were involved and I feel like we appropriately put together this curriculum to the best address the needs of power
071children as a community. I can attest to all the hours of work that was put into the care of this project. I know there were concerns about age appropriateness and I want to assure you that we made that these were not only topics happening in the world around us but these things are happening in the hallways of our schools. Our teachers need our guidance in how to best address these questions that our children are bringing to them. They may not be bringing it. I know that every time I try new with my son, he just says, "Please stop." I, for one, want my son to have a safe space to come and ask the things that he may not want to talk to mom about. I know our teachers will be giving these kids reliable,
072fact-based information that can be reviewed by the parents. We want to remove the fear and shame from this information. Fear leads to silence or questions not asked, secrets kept and possible harm occurred. This curriculum makes it safe for all of our children to feel involved and seen. It shows them that they do in fact matter. all are able to take ownership of their health and relationships. Knowledge is power, not coercion. Historically speaking, most of our parents actually want their kids in these classes. We've had a very low rate of people opting out over the years, and you can check that out. So, the opting in process would actually do undue stress and already limited time to the school staff. it's really not going to be a good use of time. Let's keep our kids safe,
073empower them to be kind, respectful, and take ownership of themselves. Give them the tools to say no, not yet, or emphatically yes. Let us lead with conscience rather than control. I know that my family endorses this curriculum for our schools and we hope you do. Thank you. >> Thank you. Okay. And then Den is on that. >> I'm gonna pass. >> Okay. Hi, my name's um I have three daughters, one that's a sixth grader at Creek Side and then two older daughters, 17 and 19. Um, I'm a registered nurse for 25 years and I I'm here today to support the curriculum. I think being a nurse I've uh for 25 years realize the importance of education and just knowing um what's out there. Um it teaching kids in schools I think is really important because
074a lot of people are not having conversations at home and even adults don't know necessarily where to look for information that's helpful or um a good source. So, uh, by teaching the kids in the school just a little bit, it's a foundation of knowledge so that they can then add questions if they have questions. Um, and when they're looking at their peers, talking to their peers, I think it does give them some more empathy and um, uh, uh, foundation to build off of. So, you know, when I think of my older daughters that are 17 and 19 and uh what they know about different types of families, uh different types of bodies and how kids feel differently, they're they're very comfortable. It's very mainstream. It's very different than even when I was growing up. And
075I love that they're they're very comfortable with different pronouns and accept really all of their peers. So, um I I just really encourage us to um uh give some information and and to have open minds and if people want to opt out, that's fine. And um that's really it. just I know that there's a lot of you know not having support but I don't think that all families are going to have these conversations that >> and then Scott >> what's your last name and liquor like art. Thank you so much. It's going to be shortly short because the speakers already, you know, said what I what I'm thinking much more eloquently than I could. So an SC township, we have a six-year-old anchor and uh you know, I was going through this draft and I
076was trying to find uh what was so horrible but people were upset about and I couldn't find it. So I thought that's very help. Uh on the contrary I was actually surprised to see that uh topics like gender identity were not on the curriculum so far. uh we briefly touched on solicit trans binary youth here we're looking at a 50% range and we do know so we don't have to pretend like there's not a scientific consensus on this acceptance creating safe spaces giving kids the language to express uh their identity what they think their identity is right so that this helps you know create better environment to mitigate those effects right solution uh can be as trivial as exclusionary language so I'm especially sad that we have people basically advocating exclusionary language I can just
077now understand that because that's uh lowand looking from the back uh starting at grade five very harmless unharm against uh what is worded out there by creating a safe space to be able to talk about gender identity, what it means, about education uh is also informed by religious top which is fine but I just wanted to mention to of course make sure that we're aware that public schools that's one of the school secular institutions and they're not church and I think that's worth mentioning this is really like I said this is low hanging be inclusive using language that is inclusive that is nobody in danger nobody's pressuring anybody into transitioning horror stories out there you know teachers pushing kids into transitioning all that stuff this is this is not what this is about this is
078not being there it's into a given language talk about these topics that are reality and we cannot extend not expect the school to extend our bubbles our ideological bubbles keep you know our kids shield from reality it's just not as Jamie Good evening. My name is Scott Westfall. My wife and I have three children, Dexter Community Schools, fifth grade, third grade, and second grade. I work as a professor, a researcher, a business entrepreneur, and occasionally a youth sports coach. My wife and I are striving to raise our kids to be a voice for the voiceless and to come to the defense of those who cannot defend themselves. If there is ever a child in any of their classes that's questioning who they are, faced with ridicule or simply doesn't have a lunch table to sit
079at. We want our kids to be different, to step up, have the courage to say something, or simply make a seat available at the lunch table. We're also raising our kids to seek truth and light in the world. Important decisions must be grounded in facts derived from science based in reality. For those who are unfamiliar with the field of cognitive science, the DSM5 is the principal authority for psychiatric diagnosis in the US. The DSM5 defines gender dysphoria as psychological distress resulting from an inongruence between one's sex assigned at birth and one's gender identity. Page 454 of the DSM5 list a prevalence of 0.005 0005 to 0.014%. We're in whole numbers 5 to 14 out of every 100,000 of those born male and 0.002 to 0.003% again 2 to three out of 100,000 of those born
080female. Please help me understand why a psychological disorder with an overall prevalence of less than 1/100th of 1% is being proposed for adoption into our children's curriculum. unless there is a political agenda behind. After all, far more prevalent psychological disorders among youth include anxiety, ADHD, depression, and eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa, which to many people's surprise has the highest mortality rate of any psychological disorder. If we are trying to save children's lives through a specific curriculum, it stands to reason that this would be the psychological disorder that we target first. Board members, we thank you for your service. You all took an oath upon entering your spots to uphold the Constitution of the United States and the state of Michigan to faithfully discharge these duties to the best of your abilities. This means putting
081aside any political biases or personal agendas to the best of our abilities as humans. This means making decisions that are based in science and reality. This is seeking truth and light in the world. I think I heard Mr. Vin say earlier, we've got to get this right. If there's any questions or equivocation, it needs to go back to the drawing board. On behalf of our family, I am requesting that the Dexter Board of Education table this curriculum and sub and subsequently remove all sections pertaining to gender dysphoria, including but not limited to gender identity, gender expression, in any of the growing list of Neo pronouns, which now exceeds 200. We request these specific learning modules be reassigned to the high school level in courses such as psychology or sociology where psychological disorders are traditionally taught.
082Including these topics in elementary or even a middle school curriculum is highly inappropriate and it feels agenda driven. Truth and light, facts, science, reality, upholding an oath, faithfully discharging one's duties. Members of the Dexter Board of Education, I respectfully ask you tonight, let's do better. Thank you. Yep. >> Hello, I'm Jamie Kronstrom. Yeah. >> Um like hockey players, you know, there's a lot of strong hockey players out there. Um I have four kids in the Dexter School District. Um ranging from four to 16. Um that's a big gap. Um, so I am thinky about all of them um as they go through Dexter Schools um what they will be exposed to and what they may have missed. Um I just wanted to say that I I didn't prepare a statement but I just came to
083say that I support the changes um to the curriculum. Um giving more information to kids just seems the right thing to do. the only people that are afraid of information are um people that ended up on the wrong side of history. So that's just what I wanted to say. Thank you. Thank you Lamb and then Peggy Miller or Ryan. >> Hi, I'm Jesse Lamb. Um I have two daughters in the district at the high school right now. They've been in Dexter schools um from you know kindergarten up actually young guys. Uh I just wanted to come out tonight to say thank you to the board for addressing this topic and putting together the committee. I know that the current sexed curriculum was almost laughable. Literally my kids were left and I think it's great that
084you took initiative to update that. Um, and I know it's a lot of work and hours that go into it. So, I just wanted to say thank you to everyone. I think it's fantastic that so much of our community is involved in this and they've all come out. Um, whether that's in support or opposition, I think this just shows a group of very loving families and community that care about our kids and that does my heart great. Like just to see the fact that regardless of what side you are on, you all like want the best for these kids. And I think that's important. Um, I just kind of jotted this down because I didn't know I was going to speak tonight. But, uh, beyond that, I wanted to, um, say that I am in
085support of the proposed curriculum. Um, I just wanted to speak up that, you know, we need to support all students in our district and we do have LGBTQ students within our district. We have families that align with that. Um, I realize that not everyone maybe realizes how many students are involved in that and sometimes they might not even know at home. So, I just wanted to speak up on their behalf. I think that acknowledging their existence is so important. If you're making room at a table for someone, that starts by acknowledging that that person exists. So, regardless of what their personal beliefs are, if it aligns with what you think or not, you have to reach out. have to acknowledge that they exist and this curriculum acknowledges that they exist and that is very important
086in the raising of our kids just so that they feel safe in our community and acknowledged and that they have a voice. Um so I am very excited that this is on the table. I think we need to trust the process. We put together a committee or you put together a committee and they went through the work identifying that. That doesn't mean everyone's going to be in agreement with it. That's not how our country is. We're going to have disagreements. But if the majority wanted to propose this and put it forth to the board, I think we could trust their decision and move forward. I love that we have an opt option for families because that gives them agency and loving families do have these conversations at home. Unfortunately, we don't all have the same
087kind of houses and some kids don't have that at home. So, it's important that we do right by our community by providing these this information to our kids. If you want to have the conversation at home, then you can opt out and you have that option. So, um, thanks again for listening to all of us tonight. It's a long night and I appreciate your time. Thanks. >> Thanks. >> Brian Walsh. >> Walsh. Thank you. And then Justin G is on. >> Yeah, I have Brian Walsh. Have two kids in the district, one in high school, one in middle school. And I just want to speak very briefly. I'll keep short. Um I haven't heard tonight. I know trans people. I've known a few kids who do not identify as binary or who identify as straight.
088Needless to say, I've known a good handful of gay lesbian people who would have been part of this discussion 15 20 years ago. not um the existence of people that don't fit into two binary visions that we hold this tradition is not new their disabilities and that's we're not rolling that back. If we don't address the existence of such people and humanity, such people early on, then to me, we're teaching our kids that there's something abnormal, something off about them, something you can't discuss until you're old enough to understand whatever you're supposed to understand. Um, and I just can't get behind. If we recognize people who discuss with our kids, uh, they're not going to grow up in a vacuum. information. Thank you. >> G and I have my name Justin Gine. My wife and
089I have three kids in the district. Um, fifth, third, and seventh grade. We've lived here for the last 10 years and moved to this large part because the school district I want to thank the CIA board for their time and energy and a lot of preparing this content. I want to thank the board for you know all the energy you're putting into tonight and previously hearing the community. That's important. That's part of your job is volunteer position that you took is to listen to what's said in the community, take action. So, I appreciate that. I especially appreciate the nights when these chairs are empty and you still do your job that happens. But I appreciate you creating a space for us to talk about this and to hear um what we have to say about
090it. Um my wife and I took the time to review um the curriculum in detail including um you know not only the curriculum, the materials um the videos um and you know I think there's a lot of work that clearly went into preparing that content um in part in an attempt to align it with the Michigan law which I think is great like that's we're asked to do CBS asked to do. Um I think you know our first concern with the the curriculum is actually just the lack of transparency around the process that went into um you know creating it and what it actually was. We found it very difficult to access the materials. you can come your curriculum tonight. I just think there wasn't enough information that was shared and that is what's most
091concerning to me in terms of the what was the actual contents of the curriculum. Um I actually think that there's a lot of positive in the curriculum what it covers. Um, however, uh, I think that there is also can actually look at the content in the and it's actually I believe in contrast to the Michigan law and that's actually what's concerning to me is the potential liability exposure to a lawsuit involved in being incompatible with what's required by the law. Um, and so I think we need to make sure that the community is fully aware of what's being taught. And I think um, the best way to do that is to um, you know, make those resources available and what's being discussed known ahead of time clearly. People care about this. And as people became
092more aware of what was actually in there, you started to hear the community speaking about it. Uh my wife and I actually very big fans of inclusion and empathy. We talk about this with our kids constantly. Actually a big fan of the definition of terms and acknowledging that different opinions and perspectives exists on these important topics. Um and we also support anti-bullying and believe that some of this content should be included in that curriculum. Um, however, I think that what was the ideology and rhetoric that interwoven in the curriculum that was chosen, I believe was based on an agenda that was pushed through by some of the members of the board and of CF. So, that's what's most concerning to me is the lack of transparency in the process and in the curriculum. And I
093think the board's job and the CF's job is to serve the community. Um, I feel like the community has spoken. Um, and I feel like they're going to hear more of that tonight. You already have heard a lot of that. And I guess my request to the board. It seems pretty straightforward and very pragmatic. There are a lot of concerns about how the process run, the materials that actually exist in there not being compatible with what Michigan law requires. Um, and I feel like the the easy decision as a board is just to send it back to CF. Don't think all of it's bad. I think there's actually a lot of good stuff in there, but I think there's some grave concerns with some of the inner global rhetoric and if that can be removed
094with the community having full access to information as it's actually happening. I think that um with a few tweaks to the curriculum, it can be something that actually serves what everybody wants. um it is done you know without an agenda behind I think it's too much too early um it's really too much of an agenda I'm high school that's fine but a fourth grader fifth grader does not need that rhetoric and agenda at that age thank you Stephanie just want to say that um as an older person in the community, I really felt like this all caught me by surprise, I would have liked to have known more about what was going on when I asked about trying to get more information about the curriculum so that I could have better idea about what it
095is that we're in the kind of val ideas and our children. Um, I felt lost. I didn't feel like there was much there to look into. I had a lot of information about, you know, how you guys come together, what what you did as far as like trying to get the committed, but I would have liked to have known more as a voter in the community um what it was we were actually I don't feel like I so I agree with some of the people said that um there's a community within this community that I didn't really get notified and I'm kind of disappointed about that. I was told too that the guys put it in sometimes that's the newspaper and that it was on the Facebook post but for me I don't have children
096in school right now. We have children in the school district. I was following the trust what was going on here. I would love for that to be the case for all of our young parents right now. very happy to have the opportunity to be able to say I want to know more. I want to be able to have access to this. I don't want to feel like we don't have a voice as an older part of our community. We still have an important role in our values matter. feel like you guys need to just let us know more about what's make it more available to us as well to be a voice to support our in whatever way we can. Just want you to know I appreciate what you guys are doing. It's not easy.
097I know from being a young myself to see all these young people come here. This really matters to them. They want to be heard. Think that all of us ones who agree or don't agree with the just want to be heard. So does the older part of our community. Thank you. My name is Stephanie. I have um a son at high school currently and I believe they're next. Um I wanted to voice my support to the proposed uh sex education curriculum. I've read through it several times. I tell that there was a lot of thought into this and so I want to thank the board for all that work. Um growing up in a religious conservative household. Um, my parents nor my school ever taught me anything about adolescence, puberty, sex, nothing. You just didn't
098talk about it. This was not easy for me and I had to figure everything out on my own. So, I cannot express my gratitude enough for a wellthoughtout sexed curriculum that our kids have the opportunity to learn from. I welcome working in partnership with all the amazing teachers at Dexter on such important but sometimes uncomfortable topics. Having a good sex education program at our schools opens the door. We're more in conversation at home. Whereas you maybe didn't want to bring it up to your kid. It gives you that opportunity and it provides a good baseline for your kids and it builds confidence instead of shame because they either learn it from us or they are going to seek it out on social media or they're going to experience it in real life and just figure
099it out as they go. And I feel learning these topics in the safety of school alongside thirds with teachers they know and trust is so much more preferable to Tik Tok, Discord, or just making decisions on the fly. And so I urge the board to approve this new and thank you so much Richard >> and if you're okay with starting okay just some Thank you. Does anyone else have any more while we don't worry? Thanks. >> Uh, good evening to you all. Thank you for the work you do for the community. It's the most thankless job. I can't please everybody. That will never happen. I've sat on boards. I've sat on committees. Uh, controversial at times, and it's tough. I know your position, but it is what you signed up for. We all appreciate this
100time with their families. Try to do the best you can do for the community. With that being said, I just want to express my objection to the updated curriculum. Um there are things I do agree with in the curriculum. More than half of the issues uh my objection is largely settled around the um LGBTQ and gender identity topics um do not believe they're age appropriate. Heard that phrase a lot tonight about age appropriate. I think that should be dictated by parents. what's age appropriate, not the bureaucrat in Michigan. Um, when it comes to these topics and the public schools teaching them, our schools in general teaching them, um, Michigan is currently ranked 44th or 45th in the nation in K through2 education. Um, that should be concerning to everybody in this room, no matter what
101side or what issue you're seeing. Um it it's very concerning for me that we're going to take such a sensitive topic and throw it in a fifth sixth graders lap um when we can't seem to get reading, writing, arithmetic down. We've been doing this stuff for hundred years. So that's one concern is if if those things can't be taught correctly, we can't get that across the finish line with the kids, why would we think this is such a cont this such a controversial issue going to be addressed properly? Uh the data is not real clear. As much as people like to say the data is clear on this issue, it's really not. There's a big difference between social contagion and gender dysphoria. That's being fleshed out a lot in the past year. The numbers are
102heading a completely different direction to suggest the social contagion some of this stuff. So it's obviously an unsettled issue in society. There's lots of disagreements. um adults haven't done a good job of having a civil debate about it. You know, we can't even agree on who should go to what bathrooms and yet we're going to teach this to our fifth graders. So, I'm opposed to that portion of it. Um you can talk a kid into anything, right? Just by planting a little seed. Uh some countries teach kids to be suicide bombers. Um, so I think we need to really proceed with caution on what we're putting in our kids' brains. Um, I've heard a lot about the world. We have to prepare these kids for the world. Do we want to prepare the kids for
103the world? Do we want to keep giving them more and more information at a young age? I personally say no. And I personally say that parents are the primary educators of the kids. We need to handle a lot of these topics at home and find a way to reach a child. I know there are certain cases, extreme cases, and that's where I think counselors, social workers can come in that are accessible for kids. Um, yeah, 44th Naturally Education, third through 8th grade, uh, kids are about threequarters of a year behind grade level reading. Um 39% of third graders are proficient in reading. I mean that's that's bad and below 50%. I don't think you and your careers would be employed very long if you're bat below 50% what you're doing. I think you guys are
104responsible for that. That's information from Bridge Michigan. Um as far as the SCAB goes I know this goes back to about 2018. They were looking at a different curriculum and some of the people that were chosen for that group had affiliations with Planned Parenthood. the GSA Network, the Arcus Foundation, and the Open Society Foundation. These are all radical groups for the most part that spread ideology and um want to push kids in a certain direction or push people in a certain direction. Um I don't know how you're fleshing your your people out. I haven't had a chance to do background of current SCAD, but I know previously the group there were people that did have ties to those organizations. Um, I think more work needs to be done. I think just giving it back to
105the SCAB, talking a little bit about um some of these more hot button issues. I think the bulk of it is good. I think uh that there's a lot to work with there. Um, one thing I do want to say that I found interesting in the last few minutes and I hope you guys notice it too there's uh fair amount of supporters here for this and a lot of them are using uh popular words like inclusive and someone came up here and chose to use the word and label people who are objecting to this that it's a religious dogma. Well, I would say that throws out your argument of inclusivity with this because you're now attacking people who may subscribe to a particular religious belief. There are a lot of supporters that continue to not
106support that. Just think that false. And there's also board members too who are busy on text and online really advocating for the change in this and I think they need to be recused recuse themselves from this issue. Thank you. I just I'm going to just offer the clarifying point that the current SEAB is a completely uh revised uh board from it was what it was in 2018 to make sure the the room knows. >> Yeah, I understand. Thank I hope I didn't >> Yeah, no worries. I just I felt like it was important to make that. Thank you. U so I have Andrea. Is that right? And then I have Bradley crawl on my name. I have one child right when she started kindergarten like the day before we um started kindergarten. We've been on
107a house here and I'm so excited to come here and um she's graduating this um spring and um I've always believed public education. I believe it does prepare you for the world because you don't get to pick who you sit next to and who you get to be with. Um, and it really should at some level be uncomfortable and there should be some fear. Um, because we all face fear in life and to face it with a a level head. Um, that's my college favorite. Um, and I think discomfort is just part of growth. So, um, I wonder if a lot of people in this room just sit back and ask how they learned about sex, who was the first person they knew that was different. Um, for me, I learned from my best friend.
108And when I went home to tell my mom, um, or ask her rather, she said, "Well, you know more than me." And Um, before that, my parents were still married. So, I've grown up in a small town. I've also grown up outside of Chicago. Um, and I would say in bigger cities, there's just more people and more of it happens. But stuff happens in small cities, too. And there's just the same amount of people and differences. But I would say small cities, um, people are more afraid to be who they are. that um because everybody knows each other and they talk and big cities anonymities like people are just too busy and they just don't care as much. That's just my two cents. Um I'm for the curriculum uh wholeheartedly. um a one of uh
109when my daughter was in third grade here, a kid uh came out and said that they had transitioned before and I was I think that's really great. Um and I applaud that kid and support that kid, period. Um I have many friends that are gay. I have friends whose kids are trans. Um, I have friends whose kids are interex or like one of them. Um, I dated someone who had shelter syndrome. So, you know, and I am Catholic. Um, but I'm not gonna say I'm gonna put I don't believe all of it. I have tons of people from other faiths and I choose to learn what they believe and try to stay open and learn from other people. Um it is the biggest way out of fear and and division and hate and then you
110realize there's nothing to be afraid of. People are just blame you. There's so much more we have in common different. And I don't believe that they're trying to indoctrinate our kids. They are trying to save lives. This education saved lives because it's the kids that are lonely that that want to commit suicide because no one talks to them at lunch. It's the kids that are lonely that end up getting raped. Um, in fact, one of my dear friends told me the story of her 20some year old kid so lonely and so near suicide and a couple years ago someone said will you just come talk to me and sexually assaulted them for five hours. So I don't think it's not age appropriate if kids are born a certain way. They are born that way from
111day one. And gender is something kids know at an early age. Sexual orientation comes with puberty. So stop saying that they're trying to indoctrinate. You're putting your own fears into the school board and not looking at yourself and what your fears are. I've also taught I've also learned um looking at her. I wasn't really prepared to speak. But I want to live in a world where we can finally evolve and accept people for their differences. My name is Bradley Crawl. My family lives and works at Dexter. My daughter graduated in 2024 and my son is currently. If I asked myself 15 years ago, would I be up here talking about this during the schoolboard meeting? My answer definitely would have been no. Uh like many of the adults here, I have concerns about what my
112community represents. I went to a meeting about the new curriculum church and attended last week's meeting here. Both of these events reinforce my feeling that I need to speak about this topic. Honestly, I don't think I really have much skin in the game as my son is in eighth grade. He doesn't have that much interaction with the curriculum left and I think we've raised him in what's right. Um, so but I'm not really here to speak for myself or my family. But for those parents and students who don't even know yet that these issues matter four years ago, the Dexter dro on a performance of Romeo and Juliet. After that performance, a concerned citizen wrote a letter letter published in the Sun Times that sharply criticized that production and the students for doing it because
113of ambiguously gendered representation of some characters. The letter went so far to say if we want we let them perform in such a way, they might as well be naked. I joked afterwards, well, we're doing hair next, so it'll be fine. Um, so another letter really struck a nerve for me. Outside the irony that Shakespeare was traditionally presented in a cro with cross-dressed performers, the author clearly not been in many of the other shows because they're constantly having to gender modify the presentation because the club is heavily female and most scripts had more male characters than female. Without making these type of modifications, the club would not be able to have very many shows as you can only do Little Women so many times. In addition, Shakespeare is quite hard. You need performers to not
114just learn the extensive lines, but they have to deliver them in a way that their meaning carries across the hundreds of years of language evolution from the audience. So, this makes casting even more challenging. Honestly, I do not think this person was even offended by the actual gender transgender performers, which there were. My feeling is that they did not even notice them and fixation on two characters in particular. One was my daughter played title dressed as a man interacting with the script in a man because you don't change the words of art and but no way really appearing as a man. You just couldn't make that 5 foot1 100 pound ballerina look like a man. But she could deliver a lines with the right emotion and she could fight like someone known as the prince
115of cats would have. She put over a hundred hours of work in that performance. Someone was attacking her in the local newspaper of record because of their issues would not let them see the forest through the trees. Unfortunately, Dexter is not a diverse community. It's pretty clear if you look around the room that that's the case. And um likely our LGBT community members are our biggest minority group. You know, we had a huge attendance here, but I would say that, you know, maybe not quite this many, but there's almost as many LGBT students at the high school as there are adults in this room. And u I think being offended by materials that acknowledge their existence and trying to pretend that they're not here does us no good while actively harming men. In the past
116f in the past five years, I've got to know several of these kids. I built and designed sets with the drama club. I've heard their stories about how they've been treated in high school and in our broader community for trying to be their honest selves. I know that they do not feel welcome in many of the organizations that might be heavily represented in the room tonight. And I while I cannot truly speak for them and their experiences, I also know that I would not have been brave enough as a team come up into this room and audience and speak about what if this was happening to me. So someone has to be their voice so we can know that we have to do better and than we have in the past. I do not want
117to hear another kid tell me about hating themselves because what our community that's supposed to love and support them has made them feel like the author of that letter to the newspaper. I feel that community could be missing the force of helping our kids grow into happy and healthy adults for the trees and not understanding how they feel because we do not feel that way ourselves. For that reason, I support the the proposed curriculum. Thank you for your time. about public participation. Is there anyone who would like to speak about different topics? >> All right. Um so we will move on to board discussion now and there is a lot of material here and we are going to frankly so that we can all talk about it well and I'm going to have press start
118over to remind us all where we're at in the process. >> All right um firstly just want to thank our entire community for continuing to be so kind, caring and committed to every one of our kids. the CAB process. So, Michigan's requirements for sex education, CAB state that every school district that chooses to implement sex education must have a sex education advisory board, CAB. The role of the CAB is to establish program goals and objectives for pupil knowledge and skills that are likely to reduce the rates of sex, pregnancy, and sexually transmitted diseases in school districts that offer sex education required to teach the A through K standard. This process started when over two years. the board. We set out a survey to community members requesting volunteers for the CF committee. Had 50 to 70
119volunteers. The board at one point in the last couple years had appointed the committee that went through open meetings for two years, conducted a parent survey where we had over 550 respondents. We have about 14 to,600 households. So over at least a third of the households respond and with an open survey that's a pretty strong response. The CAB must it's kind of like setting a really high security password to try to figure out the how to piece that committee together. So the CAB must include parents of children attending DCS schools, pupils in the district schools, educators, local clergy and community health prof professionals. At least half of the members must be parents who have a child attending a school operated by Dexter Community Schools and a majority of those parents must not be employed by
120a school district. So piecing the community or the CB together involve when requesting volunteers, is someone a parent? Are they a medical professional? Are they a member of the clergy? Are they an employee? Do they have current children? How old are their children? So that we can make sure whoever's appointed to the CV Whoever is appointed to CF has the children still in school long enough to go through the process etc. So the other the CF members must also attend the majority of the CF meetings. The meetings are were scheduled in the morning between 8:30 and 11:30. Uh we have to have students involved so we need to make sure we can make it when students can make it. Um after they made the recommendations, we've had now at least 100 attendees at review sessions.
121We could not send out the materials be the to be reviewed without outside of in person because they're copyrighted materials. We can't distribute the materials because we don't own the materials and we don't own the materials because we have to go through this process in order to purchase the materials. So it's this strange cyclical process. The CB's mission was to establish program goals and objectives for pupil knowledge and skills that are likely to reduce the rates of sex, pregnancy, and STDs. In Michigan law, it states that districts have to teach about HIV and sexually transmitted diseases. You miss school districts do not have to teach sex education. However, when they passed the law, that was the workaround because it's impossible to teach sexually transmitted diseases without teaching any sexual sex education. So the other two
122admissions were to review and recommend materials and methods including guest speakers to the school board taking into consideration the needs, demographics and trends including but not limited to teenage pregnancy rates, STD rates and incidents of sexual violence and harassment. Their charge was to make recommendations to the board of education for needed changes. The current curriculum that we've used was written spanning over the presidencies of HW Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush. We have it was the Michigan model. We It's on paper. Since then, we've seen like some of the materials are on VHS tapes. Several years ago, probably about 10 years ago, the board adopted a new version of one of the videos or two of the videos that were on DVD because we couldn't get a VCR anymore. Um, since that time though,
123we've seen every one of our students their entire lives, they've had access to smartphones, social media. We have students as early as second and third grade on social media. That has changed what we need to do with our kids. They shouldn't be on social media just for the record, but they are. So the CM's also mission was to make recommendations to the board for age appropriate, medically accurate materials following all mandates of Michigan law, evaluate, measure, and report the attainment of program goals and objectives, which is on the website. It's probably coded in the search. It's in we put it in the board packets annually or every other year at minimum uh to work closely with school administration on implementation of the program and to review policies and guidelines. The priorities that came back from
124the surveys, and this was following feedback gathered through the stakeholder surveys, were to introduce anatomy at an earlier age, fostering caregiver, student, community connections, safety, consent, and legal implications with an emphasis on media literacy. Our kids have more access to more information than they've ever had. Family and caregiver resources and access to the curriculum. Currently, the only way to review the curriculum is on paper in a giant binder. We need we set up the CAP committee set up a nice um list of every lesson so parents will know by day when the lessons are taught. They'll be able to review the exact curriculum whenever they need to see it. We have to figure out based on whatever the board votes how we'll set up whether what can be accessed remotely, what can be accessed in
125person based on copyrights. Once we know what we're working with, we'll figure out the best methods. Um, uh, continuation of consent programming, continuity of sex education in high school, and the survey showed having sexual orientation and gender identity as a distinct item in the curriculum, not embedded. The board of education's charge that no pressure is you can either reject the entire curriculum, you can accept the entire curriculum, you can adopt portions of it and rule other portions out. You can adopt portions of it and send it back to the CF to bring other bring modifications and whatever you do as you work through your discussion. This current curriculum that we use was written when George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George HW Bush were president. Whatever you do will be done long term. So, be
126thoughtful. I know you are. You've looked at all of it, and I appreciate your commitment to work through this. So, thank you. >> All right. Can I ask the phone? Sure. I I think we're gonna take a five minute recess. Yeah, that's it. They had gonna talk about it. to see if I can't arrive. There we go. I was How are you? Oh yeah. Okay. I know distracting. >> No, it's entertaining. Hold on. I'm like on the screen next. >> Okay. appciate your spin. I'm not sure. Okay. However, >> you Secretary. Okay. So now All right, I'm gonna ask everyone to quiet down. Take this question. We have a lot of work left to do today. All right, it is time for us to get a chance to speak with each other about this curriculum.
127Um, I am not sure how people want to participate. My initial thinking was I would sort of like to know big picture what people are liking and where there are areas that we want to discuss. So, sort of just big picture so we can gather a sense of where everybody's sitting right now and then we can kind of figure out how we want to structure our conversations. Does that make sense? Okay. All right. Um, so I guess with that, if anyone want to sort of start >> Okay. >> And actually, if everyone could just turn your microphones on so that we sort of try to have a reasonable conversation, make sure that it gets picked up. Yes, I try to uh first of all thanks everyone to see you're here. You're not here. Thank you
128very much. a lot of work and just reviewing this three days of uh PTO it took just to review everything times better understanding all the feedback from members I think we all acknowledge whichever side you stand where the positions are thank you uh thank that's all I'm saying that and I really want to thank all the emails I came it's like tonight um no matter where the people sit on I appreciate that they're well there only a few negative really negative emails uh and couldn't find a gender person but uh enough on that. So I don't know where you want to go with this. I have I keep thoughts I have that kind of such short >> what whatever you want whatever you're prepared fine >> I just want to make sure we're hitting I
129would like to know two minutes I have a detailed vice >> we'll do the details later. >> Yep. Okay. So I'm going to recommend that curriculum go back to approval on patients the committee for review but here are the areas I like definitely want to keep some need to be review okay uh and the big items you know kind of the sex education basic point think it's good I like to also the parts I like a lot that probably aren't APK but they together talk homework I call it the uh the family partnership stuff that was all in there in the fourth, fifth and sixth uh at the beginning of the classroom period instructions. Uh I'd like to see that the seventh day of school. So I think it's important because it brings back the
130family and it gets back part of families of all I think a lot of families involved personal values personal values. See, seventh grade is until I think it's important to bring it up front so parents can see what's going to be for that grade. Um yeah, I talk about seventh grade. Okay. Yeah. So that's there. Uh I also like setting the stages with the teachers. Each grade should continue doing that. It's really like I do like this code of conduct discuss the issues. I really like that. uh personal questions personal stories and what's expected to discuss issues. I know it's going to be hard especially talk about sexual cycles and kids are very uh but it is starting earlier earlier I know some people are fourth grade but we have kids some kids don't get
131some girls don't get later my family I had the two extremes uh you know so it's you know I don't want to sit there everyone does talk different level something do I grew up with a family that were not discussed at all. I ask question library series of four books that we'll read through that uh keep the focus throughout entire thing on respect consent respect who's going to distribute for different people what they are you know uh focus on the STI risky behavior kind of my focal is for the younger children early child you might understand this the early ages I like to stick to reproduction sex I don't think you can discuss or sex off I think we keep definition I'm not opposed to Uh I think that discussions on gender identity should be
132I kind of went back and forth right but I think it should be there seventh grade also whatever happens it's I think should be the last discussion if it's going to be seven I'm okay with that was nth grade but the seventh but it should be the last period of And there you have it. I think we're all in discussion because some areas a little bit when it's easier for parents kids and the kids kind of missing out on subject. Let's hold specific grade. Let's just hold on that. Okay. Sorry, >> that's my my uh my big picture things. So, you know, yeah, big picture is that makes sense. >> All right. >> Go for it. >> All right. Thank you all for joining us tonight. First off, I want to express my sincere appreciation
133and for the extraordinary effort and dedication to CF, the administration and the staff which are uh reviewed and updated our health curriculum. Bringing a contreal like this to the table requires countless hours of work, careful consideration of sensitive material, and a deep commitment to our students well-being. Thank you for your service and commitment. I've reviewed the proposed materials and most more importantly have listened closely to a wide range of feedback both tonight and in email form. I've talked to many citizens in Dexter and I look forward with as we move forward with their curriculum. I would uh want to stress that we want something that's medically accurate and one that the community can uh profoundly support. feedback has been passionate, detailed, and at times conflicting, which only underscores the significance of the subject matter within
134our community. I want to acknowledge and affirm that I deeply value all all opinions shared for those who champion this curriculum's adoption and those that express dissent against it. Every parent has a right to weigh in on their driven desire to protect and prepare their children for the future. Respect from every viewpoint must be the guided by final decision. The proposed curriculum is commended for its inclusion of topics like consent, healthy relationships and media literacy. These are universally supported and I felt that tonight. Um, however, the most consistent and well articulated concern especially to those from those with mental health and developmental expertise revolve around timing and cognitive load. of introducing complex concepts like gender identity and sexual orientation in the fifth grade. Developmental developmental science suggests that middle schoolers are still largely in a
135concrete operational stage meaning complex psychological and sociological constructs can lead to confusion or pseudo maturity. At this stage, students could concurrently grappling with significant biological changes like puberty and what's happening with their bodies and massive social development. Layering concepts of identity on top of this foundational biological instruction creates unnecessary cognitive overload. Reviewers specifically noted that introducing this fluid identity concepts before establishing a clear a clear factual biological framework is akin to teaching grammatical exceptions before the court rules. This sequencing risks diminishing the retention of vital health and safety acts by overwhelming students with complexity at an age that they're clearly not ready for. Therefore, I believe the best way forward is to retain the excellent biological and safety components in the earlier grades four through seven, but strategically postpone the most complex content. I propose
136moving the instruction related to gender identity and its social nuances to at least 8th grade. I preferably move it to the high school curriculum. Um, >> okay. So, I echo all of the comments regarding everybody being here. Um, I really, um, air on the side of calling people in versus calling people out. And so, that is my goal is to hear from everybody whether you're which side you're on. um the CAB committee. I I can't I I have been on these uh committees in the past and there there's so much work so many hours go into this and I know that looking through all the minutes and all of the the different um curriculum that they were proposed you know they made very thoughtful choices and I know it wasn't unanimous but that's how committees
137work. I do believe that the committee was well represented across the uh ideological ideological spectrum. Um second I want to post okay so that said we are we we have been we do have a decision to make as a board and we are to listen to all and to provide our opinions. Each one of us ran, I believe, to work to support our students and do the best we can for all. Overall, I agree with the proposed curriculum. I have had very many good points brought up through the feedback we received. Um, and a few that I'm interested discussing are uh moving the lessons on gender grade five to the end of the session. I did receive feedback that that would allow parents to opt out more easily or more clearly just in case kids
138bring up questions. Um, I think that ministration should be in fourth grade. I think fifth grade is too late because many girls are have already started their periods by by the age of by fifth grade. I love how the content is organized and correctly addresses what students want to hear. We have surveys that show that there's some shocking statistics in some of these surveys. One of them um which is relationship to violence is that in grade 11 and a half percent of students in our district were forced to do sexual things they did not want to do by someone they were dating or going out during the past 12 months. This is this is shocking to me that our high school students are having that level of of um unpreparedness. The other thing that I
139that I really noticed is that the percentage of students who identify as heterosexual is 75% in grade 11. That means that 25% are do not identify as heterosexual. And if we don't want to acknowledge those 25% of kids, we are really doing a disservice to our community. Um it goes on with younger students. are a lot of younger students also I'm not going to get it right for you that identified um in this way as well and I think that um by allowing or discussing about um that people exist well we're not saying you have that that it's right or wrong they we exist goes a long way for the people who identify in that way and we know students who have taken their lives at a younger age before seventh grade because and they're
140in our district because of these sorts of topics. And so if we can reduce one death by by sharing this information, by providing safe space, by teaching kids that people of differences do exist, and actually celebrating these differences is not they're not evil. They're not they just are people. And I I just have a hard time with that. Um so there's a lot of you know studies here and there but scientific studies do show that the existence of genders beyond binary male and female is recognized across numerous cultures and validated by psychological research. Um there are different um references to that and then an inclusive curriculum accurately represents gender diversity promotes not only social understanding but also student mental and emotional well-being. So I I do not um support removing the the language. I am
141defied with moving it to later so that the parents who don't agree with it can opt their children out and and feel more comfortable hopefully with the rest of it. Um but I do support inclusive language that that was proposed. I don't know that I have profound my general thought how they turn off. >> Um, okay. So I I would first like to like others echo thanks to the SEAD for all of their hard work over a couple years as well as the dozens of people that participated in that and attended the the meetings. It has been a herculean effort as I understand it. The board has been fairly disconnected. I can't recall one moment where we never actually mentioned gender sex ed my time here for four years. I just kind of like the
142CF handle that and trust that they're working through all the appropriate materials covering the law appropriately. We've got the race equal makeup that's required by law on the TF and I kind of disconnected myself. I didn't pour into it a whole lot really into the last couple weeks when we started having more the public review sessions, the public comment sessions. It's my process. So I kind of started reviewing where the initial feedback was and then I for not a small amount of work that the board here has put into this as well but it pales in comparison to CF has done and then I'd like to thank everybody here from every across the spectrum of opinions on this as well as those who have come to all the review sessions sent us hundreds of emails
143We've had hundreds of people review curriculum and submit feedback. We have seen it all. I think I've read every single email. A lot of them I've read twice. Um spent a lot of time on it and I wasn't really sure how I would land on this till I started really going through the curriculum. I've seen a lot of feedback. So, as I reviewed it through the lens of already having community feedback for a good portion of it, I find myself landing more on the I think all of this or most of this anyway is excellent for the kids. It's certainly an upgrade over what they currently have. What I had in school is a projector and an Elmo. And it was like one day by Mr. Ranier, my gym teacher, which was super awkward. I
144didn't really learn hardly anything. I've talked to my kids. I've got two kids that one went through this district. The one is currently still in this district. I've coached 24 youth sports teams. I talk to kids more than adults and I've heard them talk about these topics a lot. Kids talk about a lot when they don't coaches listening or they're in the back of the car. And my perspective on this is that I think our job as the board and a community is to raise good citizens uh for the world to be empathetic to everybody. My my religion is the golden rule. I just want to be treated as I you know as I would expect I want to treat others as I would expect to be treated. I value every single person. There are
145a lot of LGBTQ students in our schools. I know it is the first time just by 5%. I know a lot of them, frankly, my kids don't even care. There's part of their community. The kids I think are a little more past some of this than we are. Um I don't And then I started going back through the curriculum and looking most controversial aspects are the LGBT gender identity topics. It's I understand the to possibly push some of that back to seventh grade or high school, but it's really one day, one module in fifth grade that we're talking about. And I can promise grade all the fifth graders, they already know most of this stuff. I would rather they be hearing at least correct definitions and maybe some, you know, modern approach to it from
146their teachers so they at least have another source of information. What I like about the curriculum is every module directs the kids that they need to talk to their parent or guardian about this. This is all directed to parents and guardians. It's frame teaching through the packet, get the materials, go talk to your parent, and then have a conversation. Parents have the ability to opt out unlike in the past. I think they've had to opt out to more. They can opt out of particular lessons now. I think the district will build a framework to where parents can opt out of what they believe that parents get the opportunity to review and understand and know the curriculum that's coming up so they can make that choice whether it's they want their child to participate in it
147or they are going to do it at home. I trust that they have they're going to educate in the manner that they see fit but they'll have the opportunity here. So my initial take on all of this is I trust that CF I trust the process and the background of all the people involved and the curriculum as it's proposed I can get behind if there are tweaks others would like and I can certainly consider those too but my initial thoughts are I don't want to see a whole lot change from what the process at the Seattle group present in Tucson Oh yeah. Um so as a board obviously we haven't talked around about any of this stuff and so it just came to us and I agree I I poured in hours and I can
148only imagine a higher level people have as well. Um, you know, we obviously did consider the community feedback and and frankly a lot of them really I mean there are a lot of really good points, a lot of wealth of information today and it is these are important topics and they're tough topics. Um, I am mindful of the seven board members. I'm one of the youngest. I'm a sixth grader. So, I was thinking at what I proposals that were coming up and I will say like my my focus really wasn't even just like was on every lesson and I wanted to make sure there was throughout the grades as well. Um I did find on the high level I the consent that was great social media thank you. Um I respect throughout all of it
149that is taught and we know that our our young fives and our our kindergarters they they learn respect and all of that from ground up. Um I think some of the different feedback is if you look at the outline versus diving deep into the lessons you may have a different takeaway. And when I dive into some of the lessons, I will say I read I I reviewed the videos on day four of the seventh grade and I didn't like them. I'm like, "Okay, well maybe it was just, you know, maybe I was doing." But I looked at it again. Really didn't like them. And then I really didn't like them again. So it's like if I'm having a strong negative reaction to that where I'm like, I'm confused. Why is this something that we're going
150to do? And they're all cartoony. I didn't like that either. So, there were some things that as I did a dive, my takeaway is I do want to send it back with some modifications. I liked the fourth grade, um the fifth and the sixth grade, I didn't understand why there's verbiage at some of the tops of the signs that say, you know, male male assigned at birth. I mean, that's only in fifth and sixth grade, but in seventh and 9th and 12th, the diagrams don't say that. So, let's have some congruence. There's we are born with two parts and then there's the other stuff. But like what I want at that grade level is for the kids to know I have this and this is what's going to happen to that part because frankly that's
151that's what they need to know at those grades. And um so they can be prepared at that level. Um I I liked the bullying and the cyber bullying that was in there. There were some lessons in there about specific pills to take. I mean, I think these were in the seventh grade. Pills to take if you get pregnant. I don't think that that's in our I don't think that's an education from from the school's aspect. I don't think that that's where we need to go. Um, I think we need to teach lessons about accidents and making good decisions and making sure that we're respectful and consent that stuff, but I didn't like that. And then there were some HIV prep videos that I I didn't I didn't like those either. I like that you talk
152videos something started school um but I don't understand why we're teaching about prep that seems like it is at that juncture they're having that conversation doctor not educator so I would send it back with some modifications >> if you're okay with that I just want to make one clarifying point you had said >> oh Sorry, but I didn't like the hotel at that juncture. I don't think we so on that but yeah. All right. We'll have to double We'll have to double check on that when we get to details. I want to kind of say hi for a second. Sorry. >> Um, do you want to >> give any overalls? You don't have to, but >> No, I'd be happy to. I I do want to thank the the board um that took the time
153out of the workday to meet um the different professionals. For me that was important to have the different views um the different professionals that were there from the church from the medical field um from all backgrounds having students not having students um that was important to me that those um members met every month um to give this proposal to us. I've read all of the emails that have come to the board and and listened to everybody and and we are very very divided as a community um on the issue of gender identity and whether it should be included and if it is included when. So, I recognize all of that and I know that we have a very difficult um job as a board, but I think you have seven people up here um that
154are have really done their homework. Um and we all have different backgrounds. I have a high school student and a seventh grader. Um we have a student that we're going to hear from here. And I think one of the things that I love so much about this district um is just having gone to some of the high school um open house and meeting some of the teachers. Just the feeling of being in that school and meeting with some of those teachers. Um, it was just really energizing for me and I felt like just walking in the hallways that our students are being raised to respect one another and and learn about each other's differences and grow and learn and love one another because in the end when all of this is said and done, we're
155all human beings. Each and every one of us is a human being. And so I appreciate all the feedback and I have really delved into this um a lot. I bring a personal and a professional um side to this that I am very happy to see all the talk of consent. Um, for 25 years I've been a sexual assault prosecutor and I can't tell you how many college students that I have come across um that are being prosecuted for sexual assault and and the first thing in my mind is did no one talk to them about consent. So I'm happy to see that in in throughout the recommendation. The sections on human trafficking are so very important. It's really happening to our students. I I haven't had cases out of our district, but um I
156just had a trial out of a middle school in Milin where student was being trafficked and it's heartbreaking and it sort of rolls right into media and technology and all of these things come back to sex education really because they're all centered around sex. Kids are on their phones and the things that they're seeing are just just just terrible terrible. And I I applaud the board for recommending the media and the technology and partnering with the families because it's it's a hard conversation to have with our kids, right? It's embarrassing, right? Who wants to talk to their high school senior about pornography? Are you looking at pornography? Um so I I think at an early age to have those kids find a trusted adult and talk to them. I'd like to see that through throughout
157the um recommendation. There are a lot of changes that that I um would like to see. I do agree with Melanie about the administration maybe coming at fourth grade, but I think that because of um the lessons being taught um co-ed. I don't know about having that taught. I don't know if they have the resources to teach that administration at that young age. So, I do agree with that. Um, I really really like I didn't like the language throughout the entire curriculum of assigned at birth. To me, it's female anatomy and male anatomy. To say that that's assigned at birth and something different, I I think confuses um kids. And on a lot of the slides, it talked about assigned at birth or female anatomy. So that's one thing that I might recommend to send
158back to the advisory board and just make that consistent throughout. I would remove gender identity from the fifth grade curriculum. I didn't feel like it fit like on day two. Kids are just learning about um as you get ready to grow and changes from infancy to adulthood. So I I didn't like where it was and I would just wait to have that at a later date. I would also like to move or talk about moving out of fifth grade. The the discussion on day nine about HIV and AIDS like it just sort of was dropped in there and I felt like it would be more appropriate to put it um in the seventh grade on day five. >> I'm gonna if you want to go through sort of grade by grade on that other like
159sort of big things you want to make sure everybody else is thinking about that would be fine. >> No, I I thought the um program I appreciated the the talk about dating violence because I think a lot of um kids don't recognize that male and female. It's it's a boyfriend girlfriend situation and they don't really know who to talk to about that. So I think it's great to have that lesson for them in there. So overall I I like it. There are some changes that I would like to see but I am happy that we're taking this step for our students for all of our students. Boy, do you want to overall? >> Okay, for those of you who are wondering why I'm up here, my name is Lloyd Grant. I'm a junior at Dexter
160High School. Um, I was given this position in May last year. I applied for it. A bunch of kids my great did. I'm basically just a representative for the students at Dexter High School. I have a colleague Claire who is a senior and does the same thing. So, I have been here today and I've been here this past Monday. I have been admittedly very disappointed in what I have heard. Um, if you could, I'd like you all to look at this kind of wheel thing we have going on here. It says kindness and empathy. Right at the bottom there, right next to it, it says communication. And all we're talking about is we can't be talking about gender. We can't be talking about this because it's poisoning our youth. It's all of this. And what
161I would like to say, kids at Dexter High School are trans. Kids at Dexter High School are gay. They are. Some of my best friends are trans. Some of my best friends are conservative people. And those conservatives respect trans people with all of their heart because that's what's being a good person. That's kindness. That's empathy. I'm speaking more as collective of students when I say this. I mean, when I looked at the gender portions of the curriculum, to me, I understood it as not you need to be transexual because this is transgender or trans. Well, I'm sorry, but um you need to be transgender because of this. No, no. This is what it is. Some people around you are this. Not kids. Maybe you have a transgender uncle. I don't know. It's just a thing
162that happens. And maybe because my generation was born at a point where we don't really remember the days where it was weird for you to be gay. I mean, I've grown up to a place where every time I walk into a teacher's classroom, I see a sticker on the window. Love is love. If you need to talk to somebody, I'm here to talk to you. That is such an important part of my generation's identity. we care about each other and I think um seeing so many people go after just understanding the definitions of gender in fifth grade while yes that is early it's something that we need to put a cornerstone just in because I'll tell you this room I'm probably out of maybe other three people in this room I spend the most time
163in the high school by far but I walk when I walking in a band tomorrow, first hour. I'm going to see football players talking with trans people. I'm going to see theater kids talking with debate kids. And I'm going to see a place of love and acceptance where, yeah, maybe we don't want to be here. Maybe we want to go back to bed, but we all do love each other. It's a place that has been building that idea for so so long. And I just don't understand why teaching gender at a younger age is um a bad thing. I mean this is the world. I think I mean all of the board members have made very very excellent points. We had many many people come today who all made valid points. But I mean like
164it or not this is what we're dealing with. My generation is that's y'all guys. Um, my generation in my eyes is really the only one that understands that this is the future. You don't have to like it. I'm not telling you you have to like it. That's not what I'm here to do. I'm telling you this is what's happening. Okay, that's my rant on gender. It's very important. We need it. So, I'm in support on that. What else? Four, abstinence. Um, yes, we need to be teaching that. teach it in third grade. I don't care. I do disagree with you, Melanie, on the fact that we should move around contraceptive ideas because as much as abstinence is the greatest contraceptive, it is never going to work in a high school environment like ours. It's kids
165are going to have sexual activity. That's just a nature of life. And as much as absence is the greatest answer, none of the students are denying that. It's plain and simple. it won't work if we don't teach alternatives. Um, I mean, this is a harsher subject, but when we talk about rape and sexual assault, this happens. This happens at Dexter High School. My best friend was taken advantage of. I mean, this is a thing that happens. It's a very sensitive topic. and to laugh it off. I mean, have people come up here and talk about it and have others, you know, not respecting it. It's something that I think proves that this curriculum needs to include it. And I'm very grateful that we have those resources to it because I mean, it's just something we
166see. Um, and a lot of the times, I mean, if it doesn't happen in school, what can school do about it? School can do about it is teach them this is what can do. This is what yes means and this is what no means. I think the curriculum is very strong and firm on that. I am very much for that. Um yeah, what else did I write down? I wrote down a lot. I need to see this video on I kissed a girl and I liked it because very intrigued two times now. >> It's a good video. >> No, there's three. >> There's three videos. >> Interesting. Um, yes. So, I do not speak for all extra high school. That's impossible. I don't talk to every single person in the building. I talk to a
167lot of them. Um, and I obviously do not speak to all the districts. I got cousins in WY. I got cousins in Beacon. It's family all across the board. I know people in Mil Creek. And in Mil Creek, it's one. My final thing is putting gender identity into this curriculum is not teach is not telling people this is what transgender is for the first time. I guarantee probably 85 90% of these kids know what transgender is know what pronouns are. No matter what their parents are teaching whether to love them or not they know what it is. It's not like we are this new radical idea of this is trans this is what it means to be transgender. This is students learning what it is so they can I think they can make their own
168opinions on it. I mean if your parents are teaching you to love and accept but you don't understand it that's you don't have to. If your parents are teaching you to hate and not accept transgender people, maybe you decide to love them. That's just how it works. And I think including it in our curriculum is not harmful in any way. I mean, I think labeling these people as, you know, mentally unwell when some of the happiest, funniest people I know are either transgender or gay or anywhere in that spectrum. I I just don't understand why we have to continue battering on the subject that's just you know what the kids love each other. The adults don't like that but the kids at that high school kids at Mil Creek sure there's bullying. There's always going
169to be bullying. Teenagers are mean. But at the end of the day we all love each other. I mean it's taught right there. My administrators have taught me that. My teachers have taught me that. My friends have taught me that. It's just how being a kid is. We like each other. Sure, I get in arguments all the time. It's never because of who they want. If you want to be somebody and not that I'm saying you have to think that way, but that's how the kids think. The majority of kids are just if they don't if they aren't very much for trans rights or they're not very much against anybody, okay, you're trans. How does that affect my life? Oh, it doesn't. Let's go on about our day. Jeez. Sorry, it's very late. Um, >>
170yeah, kind of synthetic is right there. Communication is also right there. And that's why I think this curriculum is so strong because it touches the basis. Sure, it goes past what you need to do in a legal law standpoint from the state of Michigan. But I mean, I mean, is there anything wrong with that? If we're talking about how we're struggling in education rankings, why not go above and beyond? Um, that's my sense on it. that is at least I try to represent the students and yeah >> thank you like okay I'm going to just be really brief um it is not a secret that there is a wide range of opinions on a lot of topics and a couple in particular in this community but I would like to congratulate the community investor because
171we did have 100% of our feedback agree that sex education should be taught in our community and that is not required by state. What is required by state law is teaching HIV, AIDS and diseases. We did not have to have a sexide curriculum and 100% of the people who contacted us were in favor of a curriculum and I think that's a really notable and strong thing for our community to be proud of. Um we all recognize that it's important. Um, I echo, I know a lot of you already said things like consent, health relationships, media literacy, parental involvement. Um, I think those were consistently the sort of top um, things that people were liking about the curriculum. Um, it does sound like we should be having discussions about timing of topics and specific resources that
172were recommended. Um, so I'm thinking a lot of people's like I kind of wanted to get the overview. So, what people were liking, what people were feeling hesitant about, and a lot of that kind of came out when people were talking. Is there anything we missed or should we just dive into like I think we should go grade by grade and if we're in agreement, then we move on and if we have something to say, we that sound All right. I mean you guys can leave your micro on so that you feel like soft. All right. So I am gonna say we're gonna start. >> All right. How about if I say the day and then if there's like a specific resource someone wants to talk about. Um okay. >> Yeah. >> It's already kind
173of hot. >> Yep. If you're not opposed to it, I don't think you have to justify it. Just >> if if there's >> if there's agreement, we move forward. If there's anyone who wants to like speak to disagree, then we make a couple subject. >> Sorry. Say it again. >> Yeah, we'll double check it. >> You mean like the media literacy? Yeah. All right. So we have fourth grade day one. Anyone have an issue? We approve day one. >> Okay. So we are not voting. >> Yeah. >> But I am marking that we approve day one so that when we go to motion just double check if this is going to work that we say the things we have already approved. Some kind of motion that says the things we've agreed upon already. We have
174like >> you could also say >> okay >> let's do that. >> Okay, perfect. So everyone's good with day one. And if I say something like that and there's disagreement, please. Okay. All right. Fourth grade day two. I am good. We approve. Good. >> Fourth grade day three. Um, I'm just gonna say, uh, the maturation scenarios, be honest, they weren't all my favorite. Uh, I mean, I go with them, but in case in case anyone wanted to like have C look at them again. I would just say like >> um >> scenarios >> there were like there were a couple different um scenarios and the note that I wrote was that I prefer extra teachers write scenarios they see in class or hallways and just sort of make it very because they were just bigger
175topics. I don't know. I like I like the associations that I don't listen to. Anybody else have an issue with it? We'll say good. All right. Fourth grade day four. I am good. Good. We approve. Fourth grade day five. >> Um I like to see the U administration site administration. It's on grade fifth grade, but I like to see the part of either preparing body. It's in >> I'm saying now it's in >> fifth grade. Let me clarify and I'm afraid I don't remember this either from reviewing things. >> The maturation video is registration covered in >> we did have a number of people ask to move it in fourth grade because they were worried about having >> I'm just wondering if that maturation. >> Yeah. And again I reviewed this probably three weeks ago
176I think. want to make sure we have it. It does. >> It does. >> Yeah, it's at 13:30. >> Okay. >> Along those lines is the tech social media question. >> Okay. So, it is not social media is not important, right? But before we get to social media, >> what >> are we the we did have commentary about the migration video being two weeks earlier. Is that something we would want people to look at or are we happy? It's five days. >> It's just a question where >> sometime >> is it is this proposed as co >> watching it co >> do all boys? Okay. >> In fourth grade in fourth grade is a classroom teacher and they are right now just to clarify. >> So if you have concerns about that we need to
177like >> it would be more impactful if it was separating. That's why I'm not overly concerned. I think Is it just this video that's the concern >> I want I want early >> right but if it's she actually talked about I would not ask >> question that >> not in fourth grade in fourth grade as a classroom teacher we're saying we're only talking for it this is a in this um version this is a co-ed video and it is their classroom teacher in their classroom >> watching a co-ed video >> right right I'm just saying that this is what this is right now >> I mean >> right so how's everyone else feeling about it >> yeah I would go with that we have a choice to single sex Yes, I think kids would be
178more to ask questions and engage with the content. They're amongst their peers. >> I could just see the boys. >> So, >> all right. So, let's have discussions about >> So, the same video, but they would separate. How long is that video? >> 26. >> I'm I'm just gonna I'm gonna throw something out there for you. As a parent of boy twins. Um, I have an interesting perspective here and what my experience has led me towards is the idea that it's actually quite fueling to have all of our all of our children aware of what's going on with themselves and their peers. And that understanding what other people are going through before or after them um is helpful and can lead to further. And because we have question boxes because the materials include resources for
179parents and I think it was mentioned in there that this is usually done on a Friday so that people can go home and talk to their families for the weekend. I guess I'm just going to introduce the idea of it actually not being a bad idea that everyone is aware of it. I understand what you're saying. >> Well, let me clarify. I'm saying that they everyone should be taught material both male and females. This is I'm sorry I get upset. I'm just saying at the one issue there. I'd like to see them separated if at all possible. And I went through this in Mexico City with we actually separated the kids private school a lot different right it was easier small note about that and the outcomes were tremendous. It just shocked me uh the
180different age of puberty kids are going to compassion like mentioned some girls some um just telling you it's from what I've experienced and talking to my daughters about 21. So your proposal class would that be >> and the whole video not not split the video should see what the girls >> see for this video logistically >> just update right Now, aren't they watching a web video together? You know, >> yeah, >> I think so. >> I think this is we've done both. >> We've done both. There's no direction. >> So, this would change. over the year. >> Well, so what are people advocating that they would like to see it? >> It's not a problem. I mean the teachers weren't involved in this and so I guess I don't feel like they would have indicated
181that there might be some >> I know I was talking about what they two girls >> my daughter shared >> and we hearing it with the boys. So, in my mind, I'm feeling like she totally tuned it out. >> Yeah, >> because you're in there with the boys that it's kind of weird. >> I'm fine with that. >> She would never ask a question. >> So, if we can do it and it's the same curriculum, we're approving the curriculum just with the modification. >> Okay. >> All right. So just to summarize fourth grade same other than maturation video split genders >> day five day five video >> one day. >> All right >> grade five. >> So day one I'm good with day one. Yes. >> I have a question. Are we having the the
182students sign and return the slip >> the flyer? >> Yeah, because it says sign have your parents sign and return. We have >> uh I presume so was presuming so >> I just want to assuming these are I don't know very well. So I don't know. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> Is that Are you good with that? >> Yeah, that's fine. I just wanted to clarify. >> I honestly appreciate it. Family was like to go home and talk about it. >> That's what I noticed. Great to see the parents get involved right up front. >> Okay. Um, day two. >> Thought the high school terminology parts were a lot better. I did not love the I liked the the focus of respect on it, but other stuff I wasn't I didn't like the >> Yeah, I
183I I'm gonna be honest. I don't love the wonder years trajectory. I felt like a lot of the things have a lot of information lesson and I felt like >> it could potentially focus them better. Um, I recognize that this is like an update to what we're using right now. So, I appreciate that people was having some consistency might be helpful. Um, so there's the in day two we obviously have the issue of gender. Um, and then we and then we have sort of the layering on day two of both gender and sort of lesson plan. But my question was why do we choose to discuss gender before basic biology first? >> Yes. The timing all of that. >> Yeah. >> But to to to reinforce what what I think we're trying to accomplish there
184that the educational approach, you know, it prioritize social emotional first and that feeds in with the concept of so I think the overarching is okay. I don't agree with the They don't really know what >> I said I like here but that's it at that point then talk about respect anyone everyone but I would like to push back because we already concept some may not understand something made we haven't discussed reproduction system >> and we're heading into agend grade six or grade. >> So, >> just just to just to note what what CF was going for, um they they actually thought about it in terms of making sure students were being thoughtful about gender before going >> and I I'm just noting that that was their approach. I do. >> So, okay. So, there seems
185to be a general discomfort with the way it's presented here, but I want to be able to give feedback to SIA. Do we want to be addressing gender identity in some way in fifth grade? And if so, how? And I think that's the I think that's the challenge because I sort of see I was trying to isolate material that some families wouldn't want to have their student participate in. And so I think that one of the challenges is up plan around the topics that people are comfortable with. So what direction do we want to give around this topic? focus on respect. I mean like focus on respect but like I don't understand why we're just going back far and again I didn't like the terminology I thought were terrible at this I didn't like any
186part of that one they really talk about sexed gender identity gender expression gender non-binary gender as definition Yeah, it's not >> I don't think it's focused and then the terminology probably I I just think the whole section they too >> I mean >> respect should be taught every freaking day you know and there should be taught there a lot for me I I'm comfortable with the definition it's that's me I don't know but I like the rest of that but I have to have move it later but then tweak it. >> What's the tweak that specifically? So to Melany's point, the the note I made is that the terms don't feel like the most important part of lesson to me and the main activity is sort of understanding these terms and they feel like I
187don't know that all the adults would understand these terms and scenarios and situations. So I I am I'm very comfortable with the idea of introducing >> um basic definitions. I just don't know how to do that in a way that is going to honor the concerns of some family members. And so for me, I'm okay with pushing the gender identity convers um because I I and I'm I'm okay with two things. I'm okay with sending it back to CIA and saying, "Hey, can you have a discussion about how do we do this in a different way?" Um, and I'm okay with saying I'm not sure that this is the right time because we can't have as conversation about this as we might want to. So maybe later. >> So >> I was going to say
188later. >> So I am flexible with how that goes and so how are people feeling about this? I'm I'm I'm fine with tweaking it to make it more easily digestable, but I think it's important by fifth fifth grade. All these kids know kids who are at least feeling confused or feeling something like they're not sure who they are. And there are kids who are LGBTQ at that age. This is not a concept that's shock. So, I'm in favor of still having the basic concepts of gender be introduced in fifth grade, but if you want to tweak it to make it a little more digestible, make it less that I would be in favor of that portion. So from hearing this, I am wondering if it makes sense to send this lesson back to CIA and
189say, "What can you do with this? Here are our concerns." And then we can decide later the idea, you know, maybe they bring back something that we're like, "Yeah, this feels like it will fit." People will >> need to give you like at least their grade level where to go with it. Well, I I guess I'm saying and so that you can screw this. I'm saying give them a chance to write a new fifth grade lesson that includes the topic of gender identity >> before biological sex. >> No, no. I'm saying just in general. >> Okay. I'm removing this one from the order right now because what we need to decide is are we completely we give them a chance to revise it. you're not support >> I would say give them a chance to
190revise it and if we still >> okay >> don't like it at that point then >> okay >> and I think maybe >> and maybe it goes without saying that if we will further distill our balance >> so what I'm hearing is they send it back to rework including a keep the focus on respect and LGBT definitions. I would I would >> only >> I think we still have the opportunity to say you know what it doesn't really fit but I think it's fair to give people an opportunity to say like what else are >> they like because The problem with opting out is it really doesn't opt out because it's it's a through the whole >> Well, but that's So, we're going to go day. >> Okay. Talk third day. >> Yep. I know.
191We're on too. >> Okay. Chris, what you said is right. >> It is it is removed from day two. The topic can be relooked at, reworked, and brought back for possible. In general, the gender terminology part or activity is generally just >> we don't like we don't >> Am I clear that we don't like anything that's right now? >> The high school stuff is better. >> It was much better. >> Did you like any of the resources specifically? >> I mean I don't >> Are you wedded to the >> No, I'm not wed just the topics. >> Okay. Since you're not good at the resources and I think others really don't like them, I think we should try something new. Okay, day three. All right. Um I I would like that. >> Use use the
192high school slide. >> Yes. I don't understand why those are on They can't be a biological male. >> We're teach I think we're teaching reproductive systems. >> I had the same thing I said. >> I think it's just >> it's not a biological man. >> I think it's just confusing at that point. I think we talk later discuss it. >> I'm not saying it's a man saying it's a biological. >> At this stage the kids are trying to learn about what they have with what that student >> and and know what that happens. That's what that's what they're supposed that's not I don't think saying the sign that because it's male and female because that's what it says in seven 12 >> is consistent propos >> so that's the name of the topic >> sorry
193where the people on this Dan sir I think it just comes up people can they talk people they can figure out their own work if you want but that's not make sure they understand the basic concepts what happens, you know, do something and, you know, I I don't see the need to add that thing at the top. Like I said, you don't you don't high school, but it's going to be discussed later on discussed later kids will figure it out. I just want to focus like say go back to some of the four objectives and where we at day three as someone who has not read all the clarify this case anybody else >> just a quick Reminder, peer read the wonder years. The resource we currently utilize is sex education curriculum for grades four
194through six. The updates are only in grades four through six. So to satisfy the requirements of fourth through 12th grade, there was not one resource potentially that could have done it all. There three arm does have a curriculum from fourth grade through 12th grade through the community survey that was heard not be desired to go. Therefore update in fourth through sixth grade. So we see differences in language in fourth through sixth and 7th through 12th because we're using different curricular. >> Okay. >> So my vote is for day three male reproductive system. The male reproductive system is male anatomy on the slides. Not not assigned at birth anatomy and same thing with day four female anatomy not assigned at birth anatomy. Was there discussions? Was this a something that was discussed this language choice or
195was this just product of the resource? >> There were absolutely discussions. I do think it was warrant documentation of board's desire for the language for teacher to use in conversation to see uh folks had shared different perspectives of preferences of which language would be used. I think generally it was understood that teachers and just matter of speech and would say male female but the slide does say what it says. So if it's the desire of the board for the language to be changed can absolutely send that back to the CF and those changes made the restra so this these slides these materials come from the resource that purchase do we have the rights to actually edit some of those materials? Uh yes, I think we could make that. >> Yeah. Um I'm looking at slide
19612 right now. It's a video and it has a disclaimer on the bottom. It says remember many boys have male reproductive system as described in this video because each person is unique. Some boys will have reproductive systems that are not like this. You okay with that? Well, that's that's But we haven't even discussed that. We haven't discussed that a boy is separate than a man. >> It's just allow to have be different. It's allowing for them to recognize, >> but we haven't even given them the concept of being different. >> But the kids are different are already different. >> I'm need to be told they're different. They they already know that concept. They >> Some will, some won't. Look at intersects. They are. I don't have there are kids in the classroom but there could
197be in that classroom they can go >> because we we haven't defined that that gender and sex are different >> and that's why you right exactly have to have to look at that >> so here's my here's my thought recog recognize that the language is really important to people >> and I want to acknowledge that any change in any way is going to anger somebody >> and there is no way there. So when I have thought about this whole process over the last number of weeks, I guess my my overall feeling was I want to keep people with us as long as I I want to have people feel comfortable with what their kids are seeing. And as a board member, I frankly went backwards and I said, "What do our kids look like need
198to look like when they graduate?" And as I have two kids who started college last year, I feel like I have a really good sense of that right now. And so I started there and I sort of I work backwards from high school. Okay, if I think they need to know this in high school, what needs to happen in middle school, what needs to happen in elementary school? And for me, I will say this fourth through sixth grade feels really flexible because it feels like kids are very much spread developmentally and therefore I also feel like parents are spread very. So for me, I think I have a lot of flexibility in how we approach this. And so my personal recommendation for fifth grade would be to neutralize the language throughout the power. And I'm
199saying it like day three has language plus. What I would prefer is that the CA really work together to think about what language feels good for everyone. I don't want to just strike something out and, you know, make it one thing. You know, maybe we have a disclaimer, but have it feel a little bit better, you know, like all bodies are unique. >> And I'm not against what that says at all. >> We haven't Yeah, we haven't addressed that. >> And that's why day two they have that. So, >> but even then it's not really it's too, you know, they don't say specifically that >> I mean I think the respect slides did I thought it did pretty good job. I mean they're not getting we're going backwards. I don't want to work. >> So,
200are we comfortable with asking for the language to be neutralized >> in a way that you play about? the same. >> But I guess I get and I recognize but I just don't know why. I guess I'm just also asking for it to be more than just people to really think about what feels inclusive and >> I think your point about it changing >> right so what I have done >> is neutralize the language throughout the poweroint for Days three and four, male anatomy and slides, female anatomy and science were neutralized. However, >> make sense and make the language consistent. The language consistent. >> I mean, in a perfect world, they'd bring us back something that they were like 100% CI likes. >> I'm not kidding. Be creative, people. Okay. So, all right. All right.
201>> Any anyone else? >> Same thing. >> Um, honestly, I wrote also otherwise it was moving forward with that one or >> I just said >> neutralize three and four in the same way. >> Oh, five. Oh, okay. >> I agree with that. >> The reproductive slides the same thing. Consistency and blessed slide six just the male reproductive system is not associated or assigned to male at birth. That slide says the same thing. >> Oh, in five. >> In five. >> Yeah. So neutral. I'm just going to say see you have neutralized language throughout all of it. >> I'm gonna say this one like so many. Yeah. And I Yeah, I was gonna say slide 34 that just says like ways pregnancy can occur. It just seems like a side track for fifth grade pregnancy
202can occur. I mean it's everything from like sex to indo and I just didn't know whether all the ways I could come to >> there's just a lot in that what I was proposing >> is there something >> there isn't anything wrong with it it's just a lot >> it's just what if a kid doesn't know any of that it's I mean it's just a like >> that's why >> it's just I don't have a problem with that because you see on TV show >> don't worry about >> I actually >> All right. So here's what I got for day five. the language. >> Yeah, just read. >> Yeah. Not just assign just read all slides >> all right day six >> I am I just said can language >> yeah same thing >> puberty
203pointers people with >> personal hygiene and there's tons of >> pointers for everyone and personal hygiene. >> All right, day seven. >> I'm good. content boundaries. >> Okay. So, day seven, day eight. Yeah. >> Because we have to do elementary, middle, and high school. Fifth grade gives us the elementary otherwise teach. >> Oh, so I mean I have No, no sex. Not sure why it seems isolating, >> but if there's a >> but the video is about a little girl like interactions with other people. So >> I do have one hesitation just in general videos. I think whatever you approve, you should say it's a YouTube video you want us to use. They have to download the videos that I'm concerned about. >> Yeah, that was >> Yeah, you get the other stuff afterwards, too.
204You get the >> right. So, I think that >> do we have >> the attorney? No, we don't >> as an IP attorney. I don't think we can download from YouTube legally, but we can work there to see if there's a way to purchase. >> So, is there a different video? >> Uh, you know, that video I think is actually the same video that's used for health. That's a pretty standard video used. So, there are two or three resources out there. They all kind of use that. >> I like it. It's a very touching video, but and and maybe I'm naive and maybe fifth graders know what HIV is, but it's a the video is 9 minutes and 30 seconds long and it doesn't talk about how you get HIV until like halfway through. >>
205So, actually, that's what I was going to say. I would like to see a slide deck actually I I feel like there's no foundation um >> just that it's okay. how you get it or like anything. >> It's isolated, >> right? Right. Like >> Well, they talk about how you don't >> Yes. Like it's noted and noted fact, but like no context. >> Yeah. I'd like to see an additional resource either a PowerPoint or something that provides a foundation. Well, they can figure out we need something sexually transmitted diseases >> and they take something from seven day. >> We don't have to worry about that. We need to say they need something here. >> Yeah. Just explain what it is and then show them. >> So for day nine, >> is it moving forward or
206going back to see This needs to go back go. So just for clarity, do you like the video? >> And again, everyone correct me if I'm wrong. >> We don't like the CD. >> Well, we have that required. >> No, I don't know that that part's required. >> It's too >> slide deck. for the video like explain what age is and then show >> but just just I'm just thinking of the opposite side which is >> if you're going to talk about sex and transmission of HIV I mean it does talk about blood transfusions it does talk about meal sharing etc so I just it could bring up a topic >> I think CF can build one that they've done okay I'm pretty every year. >> Yeah, we have to do it in elementary, middle,
207high school. >> So, it does feel like every year because it's fifth grade for elementary, sixth grade, middle school, seventh depending on what we're >> literally talking about. So, I'm just gonna say I'm gonna trust it. Can we do anything better on the fact the 2006 scam? >> Yeah, it's true. >> It's so poor. >> We'll give them the opportunity to that if they want to. >> The worst. >> No, I know the comment. I mean, it's like 2006. It's like the rest of the month. >> Okay, we good. >> Yeah. >> Chris, do you have all the information you need first? What I have on day nine is sending it back to CB needs a slide deck for slide before the video. Video is okay. CD4 count HIV. now back versus mid uh or
208newer than 2006 and possible but then this >> so wait just sorry CD4 pal if there was a child that had a personal relative or something that had AIDS or HIV um and they wanted the data could the teacher provide them I don't personally know enough about that topic myself. So, I'm not I guess myself. I'm thinking if they want to build it into a slide deck that explains what they're talking about and explains what it is, I can be interested in what they >> just the way the way it is. I don't know what information point I would be super as non physicians for sure I just yeah I'm open I'm totally open >> I assume that there's a CF put it in so I just want to give you know reference and just
209a little bit of respect toward that process if they think it's important if they want to bring it back I totally slide okay All right. Sixth grade day one. >> So I guess my question is do we want to use the language in sixth grade also? >> We're going together. I actually I think all the other resources are fine >> in that one. >> Any other comments? >> Day one. >> And I'm counting on you guys to interrupt me if I'm saying something that is not what you believe. >> Day two. Same thing. >> Same thing. >> How the body works. Slides. >> Slides six through 12. >> Yep. 100%. That's where I'm at. So >> have we introduced interex? Yes. >> Different genders that video on straight >> I think they don't get introduced
210to this video. So what slide introduces interct. So I guess my thought is based on what we have been saying >> stay true >> when they look at the language again just have them see what they think I mean it is a fact that there are kids who are interex so if there is a way that people feel comfortable talking about this like I think that's just >> yeah slide number day 16 is that >> it's in the slide deck though >> slide number 14 >> I think we're still talking about Okay. >> I think it's fine. >> I just wanted to know where it was first. >> I haven't marked this. >> So, no. Day two, how my body works. Slides 6 through 12. They reference assigned. >> No, they slide. >> Yeah. So
211the puberty and you video I made her to say use straight talk video instead. >> Oh yeah. Yeah. That's why so that and I don't have a preference but for people who care about the language. >> Yeah. >> The puberty and you video has language that is not control. So that the straight talk puberty video and I thought it was even more choice the Marsh media one is totally that's the DVDs that we're trying to be consistent >> yeah there's two >> I watch >> I like when they go I think it's basically so >> doesn't matter. I think if we're having >> so where I have this right now then on sixth grade day one back CF neutralized language slides day two back to CF neutralized language on my body work slides use the
212pub video all day Um >> oh our our >> well >> our social worker there's just there's so much fun I'm really struggling with the amount that I feel like these topics >> you think it's overload >> I do I do um >> maybe that's the direction >> I >> these are brilliant >> they're really important things and I feel like we're kind of just throwing them in >> intersectionality >> well That's what I would I would remove intersectionality from the course content. I think it's super important, but I don't think that the sex ed curriculum is necessarily the right place to be talking about it or if so, I think it should be later. >> It's just a very >> um it's a it's a video in the slide in that first slide. I
213think intersection is really important. I think it's a really important subject for our kids to learn about. I would like to see it in high school. We don't talk about it at all. Like it's not in the So if we're going to put it somewhere, I would rather have a really good conversation. >> So you want to move that hormonal grades and feelings to high school. No, I want Well, there's an intersectionality piece >> in those slides. >> Talk about social emotional. >> I mean, you could do an entire day on intersectionality and it's like it's just like one or two slides in there. >> So, I personally would remove it from this. >> I just think it's really important and I don't know that this level is talking. So, do you want >> someone
214that was sorry >> videos? What about the videos that >> the video I would take out? >> I think you're high. >> Yeah, >> I would welcome it being included. >> I think it's important. So, and >> I would also move I'm sorry guys, this one's like big for me. I would move the vision board project to the end of the unit like in the future me. >> Oh, >> because it really covers topics that we have that they haven't covered yet. >> Okay. >> Wait, so you're going to put the vision of the project where to the last day in sixth grade. >> Some of the topics that ask students to think about, they really haven't covered yet. I think that's fair. And honestly, has one day >> What about the brain card? >>
215I love the brain cards and I would resources really to support the content of the brain cards. Like I don't think this is where I'm just not loving I like I just haven't connected with the quarter years but like I would like to see more slides focused on these topics. Like I think these are super important. Social emotional learning parts I think they're good. They're huge points that I don't think get enough reinforcement. Social emotional competency those are all good. Um >> fine she just want but this is what we have. This is a better than that's a good start. Isn't it a good start? >> I think we're all good. >> And also this question this is your study. So don't >> I know but I guess that's why like I want the outcome
216to be what we want. Like you can talk about all these concepts but like what do we want out of this lesson? And that's where for me I love the brain cards and I was like I don't feel like the slides are supporting like the brain cards are really important but if everyone else is fine with it we can let it go. >> Okay. So >> I'm just going to be passionate about >> setting it back see it or moving forward removing intersectionality video on slide deck 18 and 19 and moving board project. So, we're moving it forward with those changes. >> Yes. >> Okay. Relationships. So, that's >> good. Were people happy with the videos on here? I was just like, are they too advanced? >> I'm I want to honor where the community's
217at. >> But if everybody else is okay with them, I think we're pretty >> The first round says has intimate physical or andor sexual being a romantic relationship tree. >> Are we okay with that? >> I think >> are we supposed to be first? >> I know we got some feedback about like the whole friendship, romantic relationship. I actually thought the point that the teachers highlight is really strong which is that romantic relationships need to have all these fundamentals friendship and so I think there was concern about that and for me the point was like romantic relationships so >> okay >> is that no that's okay I get that >> that is how you that's how other people Okay, it sounds like a list like >> it's slide one. I'm discuss social media social media.
218>> Okay. Start discussing but we don't discuss social now. >> No, I know. I don't know. I kind of in the middle shoot when I was a kid. So, it's kind of the same thing. I'm just kind of >> Yeah, I I just put it out as a question mark. That's >> I wrote down that uh the people who make sexually explicit images make a lot of money when people pay to look at them. That's something that kind of >> Yeah, that's the door. >> Yeah, that kind of thing. a lot of money. >> You can get a lot of money by, you know, they're putting the view there. I don't >> So check that. What's it on? >> Yeah, it's on one of the slide answers. >> I think that gets to like this
219is a this isn't a relationship like what pornography is. It's not a loving relationship. It's >> I mean potentially not and you have kids material pass should kind of focus on this area not so much but you still jammed up you should accept trouble yet somebody It's the first line and what slide number >> it's the end of the answer key. >> I will say >> the last page >> I did make it. >> It says sexually explicit images are made for adult entertainment. The people who make sexually explicit images make a lot of money when people pay the >> that they execute for teachers. Okay. So, okay. Good. >> You got different but I just >> But if it's your teacher doesn't use that answer >> I don't know that they're necessarily but I
220don't >> want guidance. It's true. Yeah, >> I mean kids know that ads make money, right? So like >> but that's fine. >> You really don't need to pornography for them. >> No, they can just talk about your body. >> Oh yeah, I wasn't saying that. There was a video that I watched in here and I was like, "Wow, this like makes it I don't remember which one it was when I kne like I was like, "Wow, this makes it seem like >> good. So, how about this?" At the end of the answer key talks about it is bad. >> Perfect. >> Just don't put the money part in there. I did think there was Did anyone have an issue with like >> really into the communication science? >> It just felt like again >>
221there was a number slide number 12 that says about something with high school and I can't remember exactly what it said but I was like so maybe this isn't an age appropriate for sixth grade. They're talking about something like it they mentioned something about high schoolers need what it said. I didn't feel like the resources really hit for me or the topic that they were trying the topic as outlined was great. I personally didn't like the slides and sources for this lesson. >> Are we on top? So, can we send it back and retize it or I just want to make sure that other people that >> Well, I mean, we've commented enough between, you know, Mike's comment and Dan's comments. >> We like the topic and the objectives and just please look at things
222again and see if there's better resources or appropriateness. I mean like for me we're getting hung up in types of communication styles that's like a much >> word previously communicated desire for true definitions in fifth and sixth grade in day five uh in the same that Mike was just talking about page seven there's a section that talks about what is gender sexual with very specific definitions. >> Yes. Is that something we'd like to see previous? >> I do remember that. That was pretty good material. So, Cab should look at that. >> Yeah, >> more definition based. >> Yep, you're right. I remember that. >> I know what to write. >> We should use >> day five, less day five, answer key, page seven, what is gender? What is sexual orientation as the guide for the
223improvement? in fifth and sixth grade gender >> identity. Yeah. Thank you for reminding that >> yeah that's teacher facing but we could see facing >> okay so answer key page seven >> y gender identity what I have for send back to the topic and the objectives are good resources key page Seven uses a guide to fifth and sixth grade gender identity revisions. At the end of the answer key, if those resources are used for the foreign reference, repeat the money. >> All right. >> I kind of like everything, but it's on a teacher slide. So, teachers education takes on Facebook. Yeah, I said uh click slide number two on the teacher. >> Yeah, that's why slide number two. Now, this is uh pardon me. Uh just a negative and the sixth grade positive consequences. I
224I not at all because they're sixth grade. There's no positive consequences. I get what they're trying to show for a later time but the whole thing and I go back to my high school days when a lot of we had a lot my school we had a lot of young pregnancies or once I got pregnancy and there mostly that was not possible uh at that age and I don't think still is until they're truly ready uh and their partner would have one hopefully and stay with them. So I don't like the idea of your sixth grade here teaching someone, hey we're focusing on that. You can say if your mom's strugg >> you might feel less lonely for a while. >> That's one of the thing, right? >> So that's like, hey, if you're lonely,
225>> we'll have sex. So you might be accepted and at the end of days are short term. I'm not a psychologist or social media post whatever you call it that do family therapy I don't ask long people they could okay shortterm short-term benefits I call it but long-term consequences mostly all so it isn't a teacher slides all so I'm okay with I don't want teachers so it's not a slide it's let me And that's good. >> Yeah. I'm gonna say I >> more. >> Yeah. >> Okay. So, hold on the slides for a second. Tell me if anyone disagrees. I like the answer or that's the answer key for your question. All right. I was going to say I like the uh answer key, family activity, family partnership flyer, and making decision worksheet. >> I
226would revise the slides. >> I just I thought they were not appropriate. I thought there was too much about the emotion and I was thinking uh we needed it more concrete and so the the notes I wrote were this could be what sex is basic biology like how parts function how that creates pregnancy fact that there are STI and how functional >> for very like >> day six lines >> I slides. >> That's what I was suggesting. But revise the slides. >> Yeah. And I also have that same slide. I know kids are public especially I think our community I know some kids are probably really most kids they're just they're not not we don't hyper active kids are actually some kids are they'll tell you they are but it's not overly >> well I
227think the parents are We can make them concrete. >> I said reproduction. >> Do we get in trouble with that Michigan standard? >> Anal sexually. >> You mean because it should be included? >> It should be >> anything that condones violation of laws of the state sexuality including decency standard must be addressed at some point in the student sex at some point in their sex ed that needs to be addressed. So you could remove that's addressed elsewhere. it I mean >> it needs to be addressed in some wayoint >> but I'm not sure that >> I would say bring us back >> what do you as far as so on the making responsible decision slides >> revis what are we telling >> let the work >> I would say How pretty like what is sex,
228how parts function, how that creates pregnancy, the fact that there are STI that would sex, how function >> what is sex, how parts function. >> Y how that creates pregnancy. and the fact that they're >> Yeah, I would just I would support everything except the slides >> which addresses, >> right? bring us back. >> No, no, I'm saying for the curriculum. >> I asked a clarifying question on slides. What is six and talking for sexy preference stick to >> Yeah, this is where I always like people to get creative with language and just talk about like genital contact or something. I don't think we need to be specific. >> Sure. But I think >> the next slide talks about potential risks from sexual behaviors and it talks about SCI can result from all three types.
229How would you like that address if not previously named three types? Do you want that just removed completely? I I would again say >> sexual contact or genital contact or I think this is where I'm gonna say creative and see what they think but I would I would make it a little less specific oral sex. >> That is true. I have ignored I'm gonna be honest I have adjusted based on that in my own and I'm willing to have that discussion about having >> so we have kids that are exposed to older people that's >> that's too And if they don't understand, you know, that this is sex, like I'll just do this, you know, I just feel like >> we're not we're not we're not there. That's fair. >> My son came back. understand
230that that's different from sex. So yeah, >> I mean it's good. I think we need to teach them what sex is like the vagina penis the mouth but not like that there's positive consequences. This is not like a something we want to be teaching them to but that there that it can create that can get sexually kind of >> okay. So we are okay with the factual discussion of all kinds as long as we are saying >> and that is like like that's in like an assault like when that penetration occurs and you're that age that's like a that's like a bad thing not in a way like do this to be enjoyable >> right >> I think we've already >> it's really just the definition of in order to set the foundation with Jennifer.
231I think we have at least talk about it because >> I'll be honest with you, my experience was different people. >> Right. Right. So it could be specific. >> Yeah. from a >> just well I think Amy's point was that >> yeah that's struggle with this Someone tell me what's great, >> but you guys go. >> Well, you know, we're going to have if the revising, we have another opportunity. So, why don't we say >> it in context? >> You can keep it in the context of the revision. >> Does that sound fair? >> All right. No one's bored out there, right? All right. session the STI >> slide that says all exclamation point >> teachers I just didn't like I don't know >> I'm gonna tell you right now I don't lecture I would
232really like so I'm Sorry, but like I just don't feel like we are I don't think we're communicating the right messages >> in terms of well to your point they're not all treatful there some can be really bad even if treatment and I feel like we are not I think what are they how are they transmitted how do you avoid them what are the signs and symptoms. Why don't you want one? You know, there are consequences. There's fertility issues, medication resistance. I just I don't feel like any of that has been communicated at any level. The high school, okay, there's not a picture in this whole thing. If you want kids to be serious about this, where's our picture? >> My sister used to teach sex ed. She show pictures. >> And so, >> so
233for me, >> I don't think I'm sixth grade. >> They're a little shocked. I think but that's where I would just like someone to sit there and go like what are we teaching kids in a whole texture and like how do you break down steps are happening at the right >> okay ask what specific feedback >> well some of it like I would like a sixth grade version like I so I said the STI activity sheet and answer to seven Um the slides I just didn't like the approach was wrong. The slide or the video minimizes STI. Um I don't prep should not be in sixth grade like the yeah the HIV medicine like sixth graders have yet prep so we shouldn't be talking about it. It shouldn't. These are serious and that's not the
234messaging I'm getting from these lessons >> agree. This is the one slide where I >> changes. It did not stress negatives of STI. It almost seemed these are good. You can do something. >> Yeah. But then it just didn't have importance. >> Well, and they threw out all the words, but then they never talk about them. I just I don't think detail exist, right? I think you just need the overview that likees exist. They are overall bad. You're a big reason. >> I would like the sex because they'll be afraid to get it out of the >> Absolutely. >> That's what we want. >> I want them to leave. Yeah. >> My god, I'm not predicted an FBI. >> There is a slide that says feelings about SDI, afraid, angry, >> you know, all the
235>> well long-term consequences. >> I I would like to be a little more medical, >> but yeah, I agree. >> Yeah. >> In here. And if we need to pull in some extra medical people, I'm good with that. >> Yeah. >> Any way you can, for lack of a better word, scare the kids into having sex in sixth grade. >> And it shouldn't be that hard. >> If you can literally just set the corner st is what this is. In seventh grade, you'll learn about how unbelievably disgusting. In eighth grade, you're going to learn about how dangerous it is. And then >> yeah, I'm good. >> Thank you. >> All right. So, here's what I have. See everybody is day seven approach the current approach minimizes STI it doesn't approach it appropriately for sixth grade
236scare more >> or make it more medical >> I want both >> all are treatable is the wrong message >> and take the thumbs up down >> we want somebody to pass like I'm never doing that >> yeah till we're Day eight. I'm good, guys. >> Yeah. >> Day nine. I'm good. I'm good. >> Day 10. As long as that one thing there, I'm good. >> Yeah. There. And I would just say there's intersectionality in this one, but I would again it just kind of helps it in. >> Well, it's probably related to what was earlier. I just I just don't think it's right for it. >> Yeah, it's in slide. >> If we put if we put the jurisdictional grade 10, would there be time? No, I would >> I would in those consistent
237>> eight and nine are both >> can they just go through advocacy too. So I mean how could you start that? looked at it again. The advocacy stuff was great. >> See it review >> and you do have >> Hey, just just do it because it's good intersectionality tells you that why you should >> remove that doesn't have any real meanings. >> Well, I other than just do it because >> well you can advocate for lots of things >> but to have that that first part where you get the empathy for people >> okay do I mean honestly I'm serious do you think val >> okay >> well then I guess >> if we're going to cover it then I'm I thoughtful about perhaps using the information that was earlier I don't like how it
238was >> at least >> from day three. >> Yeah. Because this leads into how what you do, right? That's just a term. >> And just to be clear, it's super important and that's why I don't want to minize it by like having >> so 9 10 11. >> So thank you. That at least makes it more of a thing to talk about. >> Okay. Day 10, add the vision board project. Day three, the future me. Add slide deck 18 and 19 with the video links. Day three and then leave slide eight >> and all the intersectionality. >> Yes, >> we're just beefing up. >> That's good. So that's Thank you guys. I just want you to know that >> day seven or seventh grade day one. >> I'm good. I just want to say people
239did talk about family partnership stuff and we could add more in this There is some part in here. So if they wanted to bring us back resources, I think we can support that. >> In general, yes. >> Yes. Partnerships different >> just just parent resources for things we talked about in seventh grade. >> Oh yeah. All of seventh grade. So that this isn't any problem with what they've given us. It's just if they want to bring us more, we can I'd like them to look at that. >> Yep. Okay. Day one. Good. >> Wait. Sorry. Some of the worksheets talk about parts of a man. A man. Okay. These are the parts that men usually have in their bodies. You want to say that >> men have that men have. We're talking about gender now.
240I talk about sex. >> Yeah. If you're talking, this is the way I talk to female talking. You're talking man talking. That's the way I >> see. I don't look at >> because >> you don't have a problem. So what do you want to say? >> Why wouldn't it say the same thing that may usually happen? >> I know that the only thing I'm thinking is some >> are from other places. So I don't know. >> Well, yeah. I mean it is a scan. >> Yeah. >> I don't have a problem with it personally. >> I'm just you know pointing it out >> because it's definitely talking about biological >> things. So why are we talking about men? could be a a >> okay >> a trans >> if that can be changed >> to
241male terminology >> it's a >> gender male that's not they're not going to have that >> so terminology >> vocabulary >> it's in the word they want pre elementary >> oh so wait you're on day two then >> am I sorry >> I'm good All right. >> You're good. Otherwise, >> consistent reproductive think about the outline. This looks all great, but if you did a deep dive, there are some things that you have to follow up. >> All right. So, for day one and two, uh, look at changing wording to male, female, Yeah, I'm sorry. >> And that's why I say terminology. >> Yeah, >> it says topic system. Yeah, >> it says um which are reproductive or says somebody these are the parts that men usually have in their >> male. >> Yeah, the
242other the other part it'll say for >> what it language. >> Yeah. >> All right. Day three. Good. >> Hold on. Day two. to uh babies with a penis. >> Just trying to be consistent. >> Yeah. No, I >> just didn't see it >> because this is just an ad. >> It's Yeah, I got you. The activity to be babies with a penis are formed of skin called skin. That be >> detail. >> I mean, honestly, I'd rather penis that point. >> Yeah, you're kind of you're talking. So A2 good terminology should be >> right >> I didn't like any of the videos at all. Um >> so let's start. Are we good with the topic in >> Yeah, because frankly there are >> I have this move to the end if we're going to
243discuss it. >> Okay, we can get to that though. Hold on a second. We're going to put the topic >> gender identity. >> We don't have to. Yeah, if you pull up the app website. >> Okay. Um Okay. So, we're good with the topic. We're good with the objectives that are listed. It sounds like we want different resources. >> Yes. Um it sounded like I will say this is where the community came together. I felt like in terms of people being okay with the conversation happening in middle school. Um, and I have made a note that maybe they consider both fifth grade resources and 12th grade resources. A lot of people were very 12th grade resources. So the >> I think they did I like the matching of that. >> Yes, I did too actually.
244>> I saw good for that. which was scary. >> This is still day four. >> I will say I think it's important to have a conversation about language and pronouns. I didn't like this video and >> yeah, >> mostly that's because the the words are changing so fast. I'm very worried about stuff that might become out of date pretty quickly. And so this is where I guess I'm gonna say like perhaps see about like how do we have a conversation about what that looks like and maybe at time the teachers say like elicit responses from the students. I just don't want to be advocate. I think that's really problematic. >> Yeah, it is. It is. I I don't think there's >> but that's why I >> tell people you give the teachers strict definitions you
245know as of now they make their own slide just you know I I I think some people I do have to have a definition we don't say we should I mentioned before six >> I'd like to just send that overall with the topic and the objectives and we're just wanting them to bring us new material or do you want to change that? Well, I don't learn the definition of gender identity and sexual orientation terms and how to be respectful of the differences like that. I mean, yeah, the whole thing I disagree with because you may have not all I don't agree with. >> That's what I'm saying. I don't call these videos. or different pictures, but in general videos easier to have consistent language for the teacher because they're not position they can find better
246ones. >> If they can find better ones, I just I want to make sure and I'm really worried that from one that's all that's >> well that's why I want to make sure if you're okay with top I want it to be more educational. I don't want it to be like ice. >> Well, these were on these were actually sixth graders when they were developed. >> I know. >> But so I get why cartoons fourth and sixth graders, but I said they're all too cartoon too focused on finding a sexual partner, etc. Uh return the focus to healthy relationships and you can still gender. That's what I wrote down here that any point where where think you might have feelings for still about respecting partners relationships and and and not multiple partners. That's not sexual.
247That's not >> a healthy relationship. I don't even care like have a girlfriend one day, dump her in high school, boyfriend, whatever, and then dump them down the next day. That's not healthy, you know. >> Okay. So I'm just gonna rerout it here and say >> and say >> bring us back something with new resources. Yes. And as this sounds like this is sort of we want to make sure that people are understanding words, terminology, language >> in a thoughtful way. Again we're building a foundation here. So I think what can people bring up that looks like an introductory lesson that is I guess we'll >> pronouns and we like the >> what is pronouns video that's why I think it is but I want them to come the topics the topic is fine >>
248yes >> think about video maybe this is just me thing I know a lot of students especially in like seventh grade they're still rails crazy videos in my experience have not I've zone out. I also I'm just I I like to think of okay student I try my best. Okay. But when a video comes on especially something that is undeniably uncomfortable I mean not less this this is just I've said my fair share on that. like videos if you get an actual like teacher who cares about what they're talking about not trying to push anything on anybody teacher who cares actually good lesson plan you build that out there's a million tools that put a YouTube link to it give you a script based on do that whatever just make it engaging because what because
249you guys are obviously making really good points it won't matter if kids pay attention. And I'll tell you right now, they're not going to what >> I skip that day. >> Like the content I haven't >> looking at this and seeing video. >> Okay. >> Video video. Is that kind of a conscious thing as far as developing the lesson plans? >> We can definitely work thinking about the teachers. >> I want to set >> the parents and the teachers parents can see the exact >> and teachers >> have the exact lesson >> right now. Okay. So, so we're sending it back. >> Sending it back doesn't have to be Dave. >> Well, that's what I So, I was going to say, do we want to say where it should be moved? People have an opinion
250on that >> to the end. >> So, we have two issues with this. The one was the timing and one was the content. We've dealt with the content. Do you want to adjust the timing ourselves? Do you want Pepsia make a recommendation when they look at the move to the last day? Is there a reason why it flows in priority? >> I do not know >> between puberty review and HIV. >> Well, I mean, I could make I could make a supposition. I don't know if this is true, but if you're wanting people to be thoughtful about why HIV and AIDS could relate to you, it could be important. And it's I've had a conversation with the teaching staff who teach this who say don't think they apply to them. Why don't we just ask
251the CF to evaluate based on they come up with >> that works for me. How's that go? >> All right. So send CF doesn't have to be big or bring an introductory lesson. The topic is okay. Middle school the objectives are okay resources other than the matching activity. High school resources are better and all videos are not good. There are students. >> All right. >> I think that video happened of put that on Facebook. >> I bet I was fine with the rest. >> I'm fine with the rest. I would like it to be looked at in the context of the STI just across the I have no problem what's there. I just want to make sure that like it fits the actual trajectory of >> So is it going back or >> if you
252remove that video? Well, I guess I would just send it back in case it makes more sense to we don't have any I don't have any problem with what's in it. I just want it to make sense to play the HIV and AIDS and the STI like I'm about to tell you the day six STI there are things they don't like. No, but I'm saying they go together. >> They take out that video. >> I'm fine with it. >> Okay, good. >> If they decide it doesn't fit, they can. >> All right. Day six. >> Well, I just I I feel like we're missing the most important things. Like, honestly, STI, but like I I feel like our focus shifted to gender identity and I feel like STI frankly across the spectrum I don't think
253we've done a good enough job messaging these are important dangerous and >> I would like Yeah. And I just the HPV was good, the healthy not activity was good. I'd like to actually see more of that like build that information like build the lecture around the what's healthy and what's not. >> Yeah. So, are you essentially saying the what you have is good, but they're more >> Yeah. I just don't feel like we're going to we're kind of all over the place like here like look at the article like pick some STI here. Here's it just if I were sense that I felt like >> that was that is my recommendation. So people are okay with that. So then review >> no she wasn't my issue is over the span like are we hitting what
254we want to >> do removing >> and day six like HPV and healthy or not those are >> okay day seven >> I just said I don't think there's anything anywhere describes how a person. It says somewhere that that's a goal and I didn't see >> like I thought it was somewhere that like how pregnancy happens and how they might know they are pregnant. >> Yeah. And I didn't really see that. So if you think one of the objectives is missed. Okay. Check objective. >> Flash pregnancy said you could use terms male and female when discussing concepts termination and reproduction especially in the context of genetics biology that previous text described it must be something. >> So you're do you think it's Yeah. >> So, we say check for >> Yeah. Check for language advantage.
255>> Yeah. The flash. And in the pregnancy visuals, it said on page four, it shows XY equals girl. XX equals boy. You're talking again. You're saying girl and boy. Those are not biological terms. saying if you want to be consistent throughout the >> seventh grade talking about the X >> that's not the issue. It's like it's using male and female. >> I'm seeing it. >> Look at the flash >> right here. >> Of course, it has gender roles. Mother, father, >> you know why are we why are we doing gender transparency or pregnancy transparency for identical. >> Okay. So rather than you're looking for >> Yeah. >> So it might not be >> you might not identify as that. Yeah. Yeah. >> So you want to be inclusive. >> Well, that's that's the point of
256using male. That's why that's why >> we're talking about genetics here. We're talking chromosome, right? >> So he's saying that term biological term >> which we're dealing with, you know. >> So he's trying to be more >> consist. And it's created by somebody else. So not like >> this is >> it's a different resource. We can make it consistent. I guess that's >> that was my feedback. >> It's not intentionally trying to be different. >> I'm not saying that at all. But different resources, >> right? >> But specifically when we're talking about chromosomes, XXY that you're XY XX too. >> Okay. because I just we're gonna send a lot of >> I'm just bringing it up. Everybody else >> you guys want to go >> see you. It's not clear enough. Check the language. >>
257That's >> all right. Day eight. contraception. >> I actually >> I would just possibly I would send it back over setting up and understanding what they're talking about. >> Do you think it was too? Yeah, I feel like I feel like we're missing foundation. And yeah, >> the first thing I do like though they do make clear birth control >> actually. I like to start that show up 100% effective four out of 100 whatever breaks it down even if you're trying to I do like it don't know right >> well that's just it like I want more knowledge >> I like I do like the percentage base or the numerical base even if you use a condom like >> it makes it real >> right >> you can make better choice you're one of 4%
258down video and what else >> more knowledge I said more foundational knowledge like a power overview of what they're talking about >> and if anything like how to contact your doctor should know how to boundaries are on here too. I thought >> I thought it was a little >> Yeah, my question I had this wise talk >> I went back to there. I liked it, but like all right, whatever. >> Yeah, it's like can I give you a high five? >> Make it more. >> They're still Well, we just >> kids will get things out of it based on the level they're at. So, like doing the same content again at a different age will still like >> All right, day 10. >> Day 11, healthy versus unhealthy. It was a good one because it
259showed like the how they communicate on text. >> Um, any other comments on that one? >> Day 12, sexual harassment and abuse. >> Day 13, sex day. >> Yes. So needed. Day >> so sex traff. >> Yeah, >> I just want to just make sure that we hit this as well. It doesn't have to be as in depth, but I think >> Yeah, we I'm sorry. We never got back to that. >> No, like fifth grade. I just was just have So just something. >> Yeah. Well, that's what we need. >> Right. That's really >> add >> that changes so much because the technology changes and kids are >> social media. >> Well, they're not should be on social media. >> They are, but they're lying. The parents are approving it. They shouldn't be in
260the >> academy. >> Sorry. That's all the Snapchat investigations I've done over the last >> resource social med. 15. >> All right. Day 15. I The only thing I didn't understand why there's a whole day on this. That's my only thing. Again, I'm not going to blast till like 11:30, but I understand there's a whole day of how to find stuff. >> How to Google. >> Yeah, how to Google. That's don't know that. >> I think it was also related to the what's about source. >> Okay. >> So, I think that's fine, but I just >> and I guess that's where I made the notes like how to access healthcare resources. Like kids should know >> how to make a phone call in their doctor's office. Kids should know how to use their portal. Like
261by this age, their parents are off a lot of >> So like kids need to know. That's an area we could stay. So that's fine. I just I was like I I would like to see something about teaching kids how to access their own resources as part of that. >> It also talked to the survey. This is one of the number one things. We like >> All right. All right. >> Day one. >> I have a note to add a family partnership. >> Yeah. Uh, day two. Day three. Good. Day four. Good. Day five. Good. Day six. Good. Day seven. >> I'm gonna say I like I like the resources here. So if Cab feels like they line up with what they're already doing, I'm fine with these resources. I just want them to be
262thoughtful about what they're doing and if they think it's so day seven, we're good. Day eight and day. >> Yeah. Day eight and nine. And this is where like high school, we need pictures. appropriate pictures, but like pictures, >> right? >> You could show you pictures of season. Okay. So that's eight n day 10 >> and we are required to do the safe delivery lawy that is a requirement >> child guidelines for any kid that wants to go child support. Day 12. >> 14. Um, my only question was should we have more? I don't know. I thought about this. Yeah, I felt like I felt like they could be more in high school. This sort of covered like the the seven the videos the same >> and I'm gonna speak out loud if they're presenting
263this topic discussion. I could be wrong, but >> the reality is high school's got 90. >> Okay. >> Well, the video they have listed is the same resource as seventh grade. So, I guess we should do show something similar. Don't shoot the show. >> I'm just saying you can really show that by stupid watch. I'm not trying to say >> I deal with day 15. Yeah. Okay. Is there anything anyone didn't get to say? I make sure every >> question. >> Yes. uh as we file these notes and bring them back and see ever changes, how would the board like those changes best documented because all changes will go through the process that we just went through. >> Are we are we able to go grade by grade instead of four through 12? What? And
264I know we're sending back a lot, but it would be really nice if we could like get a couple grades at a time. Uh if that's your preference, we hope to do that in the future. We would hope to develop a cycle that takes on fewer grade levels. This just hasn't been so everything. I guess I'm curious like organizationally, do you want to see highlights of the new materials strike through or was like how do we communicate to you all and to the community what has been thought of? >> That's a good question for you. Um because the board has provided feedback at this point CF for what we want. Can we look at what CF is coming up with first next time since it's a review of our ask? I know in this case
265we need to ask community first before it came to us >> like a draft. So are we able to see a draft? There's nothing that says a different conversation, but it could be >> there is a way to review the materials, >> but you can't discuss it, >> right? >> But if we can review it and just be like, hey, we haven't discuss before. I just think it's a way that usually this is a really complicated process and we don't want to get upset about things if the it hasn't even met I guess we're >> we also don't want them to work on a lot of stuff we're not process right the stuff and you would know like okay I think this is I think we all trust your judgment. >> That's fine. But just
266before it goes back out, >> to Ryan's point, could I visit >> I don't for example. >> I know. I just don't look I don't want I don't want to confuse the issue since we've worked so hard to be separate. I just want to be able to say that I want the I think it makes sense to have at least look at it to make sure what bother to send it back up. I also think if appropriate would be helpful to have a board represent at future CF meeting to provide clarity of their conversation about interpretation. >> Right. >> So when the CF says I heard them say this and they said I heard them say this to be a board representative president say we said this. >> So that would be helpful. >> That's
267>> what about and I don't know are you approving this tonight? I would like to if people are comfortable approve everything that we did not send back. So in your approval, you could also appoint a lease to meet with CF board to go over. >> I'm going to propose to table that we have next week. >> Think about that as to the process of procedures, but we can ask this forward. So I would education update it proposal packet with the modifications as the last two and a half hours >> approving sections. We're sending you modifications to be sent back to the CF. >> Well, so >> I mean just to be clear. >> So when we when we said good, good, good. That way they're not looking at all that. >> Yeah. >> I think
268I think it's important to have a vote and an action tonight because the community is going to wake up tomorrow few hours and say, "Hey, what happened last night?" And I think it's important that people say the board's in. So our X is to approve with modifications. >> And I can read it to you. >> So I'm okay. Make sure I'm close to retirement now. >> So I have a motion on the table about the the curriculum with the modifications we discussed as >> Okay. Um further questions or discussions about that? We are approving the modifications. Okay. Can you do a roll call vote please? I >> and now I'm going to move that table the discussion of what processes of how we will communicate our going forward how we want to back and All
269right, we have a motion and a second as I don't think this is entirely controversial. Can I just have a consent vote and say yay if you are in agree with that? >> I opposed. >> All right, this is our second opportunity for public participation. Is there anyone who has anything left to say? I I'll speak again really fast because I know we all want to go home. So >> just process it. Y there you go. >> Okay. I think unfortunately everyone left and I really missed the extremely deliberative process you guys showed going through all this material and how much work you've already done on it. So I think we should all be very thankful that you guys put in all this work on this. Um I just had a couple quick questions. One
270is in the high school. What grade is that taught in? >> Uh 9 through 12. >> But it's it's like just based on the random electives, right? So >> usually n >> Yeah, they have locked electives now because of the structure. But that does we have to remember that because it's elective, kids might have later. So if you only see what you have at seventh, you could definitely become significantly sexually active if you don't pick it up till 11th or 12th grade. And that might be why seven seems a bit aggressive to a lot of us. And that's that's one point. I think that was our main point. >> Thank you. >> Okay. >> Sorry, I didn't see you. >> Mike Mason. So, thank you so much for all the good work. Um my mother
271uh was on school board and wrote at one point held the uh record for this most consecutive years 37 years the machine record. So my wife is also a school psychologist in Washington County and also when she so um just one quick comment and then suggestion that might be helpful to help a lot bring a whole lot of people together. I hope it's going to be my father and I um well my wife was in the classrooms in uh middle school and just within the last year and a half in our schools. Um, and we all spend a lot of time talking about gender issues and so forth. Um, it's cool to be transgender. Um, very few heterosexual relationships in um, uh, at least that people knew in middle school or heterosexual, same sex, those
272things were cool. the idea that um having these conversations, teaching these things, having kids talk about them doesn't influence a kid and what decisions they can make on that. We're fooling ourselves. Um just to keep in mind as you go with these things, the redoss are done and so forth, we are looking fraction fraction fraction. And so we need respect those kids. Everybody regardless of where they fall on a very small group. If we could get 75 to 80% of us to agree on this, be sort of satisfied on this. Even 75 or 80% agree on anything that's blue. That'd be a great percentage. Let me give you two thoughts that might help bring us along. bring two sides together. Nobody's going to be happy this probably. Um but one is we were talking to
273my my daughter got married a few weeks ago 20 years 89 years old just got married and my wife and I were chatting with her about this and she was just it took her back in just painful time of she was so she was when she opted when we had her opt This can be a little hard for you probably disagree with this. the idea of >> apolog She was so um bullied and mistreated for opting out if you switch it the other way in just like you're signing up for class. That would take a lot of the stigma away. A lot of the bulling bullings are worse problem. And then secondly, I mean, if you do it sort of in segments and we'll give parents an idea of okay, just the basics. One is
274the biological that they can all sign up everybody's going to agree with and then sign up for second secondary sort of classes. The basics that are on first issues that might invol to opt in or out and then materials on those things would be sent home is over. >> Thanks. >> Thank you. >> All right. Um we are now to do this next time session now. >> Okay. Um I will move to go to close session. Second >> for the purpose of discussing attorney connected with material. Um second >> it needs to be a roll call. So >> we're not going to >> but we don't if we don't know it but our so So we will do this next >> thank you very much. >> Thank you.