001This public hearing is now in session. Clark McGomery County School System concerning family life curriculum. Are there any speakers signed up to talk? Anyone does wish to speak, there is a table in the back with a place to sign up your name and information. Please do that and you will be called on. I will wait about five minutes for somebody to sign up and then we would take a recess if no one does. While we're waiting, is anyone from the team want to give an update on Family life curriculum. >> Good evening. Thank you guys for having having me present tonight on the updates to the family life curriculum. My name is Becky Padet and I serve as the director of curriculum and instruction for our high schools here in Clarksville, Montgomery County. As you
002can see on the screen, the Family Life Curriculum's website is available for families to view. It's open now and ready for viewing at anyone's convenience. The Family Life Curriculum is in its fourth year of being taught in our school system. Each year, the Family Life curriculum falls through a timeline. Every summer, uh, we vet the curriculum based on teachers feedback from the from teaching it the prior year. Each fall, right around this time, we do a public hearing as, as I'm here tonight. Each fall, we also teach uh our teachers and update them on the family life curriculum and a training. This year's training will be on the staff development day on October 7th. And then from September to October, pending schoolboard approval of the FLC, uh parents will have access to the curriculum to
003choose to whether they opt in or opt out of their student receiving the curriculum. And then after that 30-day window from November to May, students will receive either the FLC itself or the alternative lessons. Just to take us back four years ago, the FLC was developed through a committee of educators and community stakeholders. It was developed by the Tennessee Department of Education and it was used through um it was created through approved resources. The curriculum is aligned to the Tennessee Health and Wellness state standards. And it's also important to note every instructional slide is notated with the standard and the law as it pertains. After the curriculum was taught last year, a Google survey was used to gather feedback from our teachers who teach the curriculum. From their feedback, we made minor changes. We will
004talk about those changes in the next slide. This year we also added the success sequence as required by law to the family life curriculum and also added this year were the revisions to the health and wellness state standards as approved by the state board of education. teacher feedback from the curriculum last year was accessibility features specifically ensuring we had resources for um our our non-English-speaking communities and also we had questions around structures for students to ask questions like this is more of a teaching strategy than anything but these were the two pieces of feedback that we received from our teachers last year pending schoolboard approval Parents and guardians will receive the FLC information as noted in the website. They will also receive um the like I said the curriculum for review. Parents have 30 days
005to respond with optin or opt out preference. If no response is received, the student will be considered an opt out status. At the end of that 30 days, the FLC curriculum will be open for teachers to access. And then it's important to note that as any new student enrolls in our school system, the parent, the families will have the op opportunity to receive access to the family life curriculum and the option to opt in or out their student to receiving that curriculum upon enrollment. Here is our curriculum website again. And like I said at the beginning, this website is open and available currently for all families to review. Any questions? >> I don't think so. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Would you check the back table for someone who might have signed up? I
006think I saw someone sign up. I didn't hear his name, but yes, you you did sign up. >> Okay. When you get to the podium, please state your name. Remember this is a family curriculum life uh hearing so your talk has to be on that subject. >> Yes sir I can hear. Um I push a little button right. Oh it's already on. Okay. Hi. Um my name is Christine Mcnamar. Um I'm a parent in the community. I have six children in CMCSS schools. Um so as she was talking I did pull up the law. Um, and I'm looking at the Tennessee state law that says emphatically promote only sexual risk avoidance through abstinence. Are we not ensuring kids are learning about condoms or are we not are we not teaching kids about condoms? >> We're
007not here to go over the curriculum with you. It's available though. >> Oh, okay. Well, I was just curious about that. Um, so everything that I say has to be in regards to the family life curriculum. Okay. Well, so are they teaching kids about condoms? It's still in the family life curriculum. >> I've not attended the class. >> You don't know what's in the family life curriculum we're talking about today? >> I know what we're talking about, but I've not been to the class. >> I'm sorry. >> I I've not been to the class and everything they're teaching. So, can anyone confirm if we're teaching kids, high school students, police, any any grade about condoms or just like a you make a mistake, you're screwed type thing. >> Well, um we'll get you an answer
008to that question, but not now. >> When >> we're not here to answer your questions now, but to hear your concerns. Oh, >> okay. Okay. Sorry. I was very concerned. So, um me personally, my experience in the community, uh I am a foster parent. I foster teenagers in Middle Tennessee. Um, and many kids that I have like that have come into my home, um, I mean, I had a a 14-year-old girl who had no idea about ovaries and eggs. And so, uh, you know, obviously it's really important, but that also means that she never learned about making good choices. And as a result of this, that young lady made a bad choice. And I mean, she was 14 years old having to take a pregnancy test. And kids are going to be dumb because kids
009are stupid. I love kids, but they are stupid. Um, I guess it's just kind of a big concern. Uh, especially, you know, we know that we have like the Christian nationalists moving in on our school system. And so that's kind of concerning as well. Just I'm very worried about Christianbased rhetoric moving in on the family life curriculum. >> Okay, >> that's really all. >> Thank you for your comments. >> Yep. Thank you. Oh, when when did you say I should expect an answer about if they're teaching safe sex like condoms? >> I couldn't I couldn't understand you. >> I said when when did you say to expect an answer on if they're teaching about condoms? >> We'll get you an answer within two weeks. >> In two weeks. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Any other
010speakers? Seeing none, this public hearing is adjourned.