SHAC Notes - Sept 2018

Here’s what a visitor can expect to see per the new SHAC rules:

• There is now a designated seating area for non-members; only SHAC members can sit at the table
• Only the first 5 people who sign up to speak will be heard, with a 2-minute limit. Community comments are made at the beginning of the meeting.
• SHAC members will NOT respond to community concerns or questions
• A number of comprehensive sex advocates are currently “in-training” for membership on the SHAC. They are seated at the main table.
• No introduction of community individuals

 
Meeting Highlights

1. The presiding officer shared that safety for members was a concern.  An AISD officer was present for their protection. (I am not aware of any issues in the past concerning safety.)
2. An SEL representative conducted an SEL training for about 40 minutes to show us an example of how an SEL lesson would be conducted in the classroom.  (You will need to see my presentation on the Videos page to understand why this is the “tip of the iceberg”).
3. Someone came to share that an AISD officer was helping pass out bibles at the Celebration Church worship service that meets at the Performing Arts Center (AISD property).
4. Health Sex Education Curriculum - a.  AISD will only be revising the 3rd-8th grade curriculum; b. AISD is mapping out ways to include community input through CAC groups and 2 community groups, but a timeline has not been worked out yet to inform parents; c. They will be using the National Sexuality Education Standards - HealthSmart (www.etr.org/healthsmart/standards/national-sexuality-education-standards). NOTE: This organization is affiliated with Comprehensive Sex Education advocates, and is NOT a federal entity.  AISD will be using it to create a new scope and sequence for sex ed. The question needs to be asked: Why is AISD choosing to use these standards that were developed by organizations aligned with the Kinsey Institute, abortion providers, and LGBT advocacy organizations?

 
One community member (non-SHAC) shared the following comments/questions:
 
++    What is the goal of sex ed in AISD? How does a new curriculum help meet that goal better than what is in place now? By teaching consent to underage children, does the district feel that elementary aged children are developmentally ready to provide consent to sexual activity? How will you teach children about predators, which are the cause of childhood sexual abuse? How will you ensure that victims of childhood sexual abuse are not receiving the message that if they’d known better, then the abuse would not have occurred? Why is sex ed a high priority for elementary education when it is beyond the scope of TEKS? It is my understanding that the resource being used to write the new human sexuality is free. Where would I find the cost analysis of how much this time and training the new curriculum will cost the district? Why are additional resources and time being spent on human sexuality when the district has the very real heavy burden put on it by the federal government to rectify its lack of special education services?