May 2, 2005

Should parents be barred from sitting in on school sex ed classes?

They are in this school district (where parents are otherwise free to sit in on classes). I understand the reasons given for the ban, but my mind is currently affected by the script of the "Proper Condom Use" episode of "South Park" (which I read yesterday when I was writing about Laura Bush's milking-a-male-horse joke). In case you can't bear to read through the script (which you might -- should -- find awfully disturbing), I'll quote the moral of the story (spoken by Chef):
Look: Schools are teaching condom use to younger and younger students each day! But sex isn't something that should be taught in textbooks and diagrams. Sex is emotional and spiritual. It needs to be taught by family. I know it can be hard, parents, but if you leave it up to the schools to teach sex to kids, you don't know who they're learning it from. It could be from someone who doesn't know [a shot of Mr. Mackey], someone who has a bad opinion of it [a shot of Ms. Choksondik looking around], or even a complete pervert [a shot of Mr. Garrison].


UPDATE: The Washington Times gets results!

7 comments:

Nick said...

I'm not even a parent and I think that this is totally wrong.

While I might understand how someone thought it was a good idea, I also think its totally unacceptable.

Ann Althouse said...

Well, do you like the idea of some other kids' parents listening in while your child is trying to ask a sensitive or embarrassing question? Which parents are going to be very interested in watching kids learn about sex? I'd be wary of that too.

Nick said...

I'm sorry.. that just seems strange. You're saying that parents who are interested in what is being taught to their children are... what... pedophiles? What does that make the person who is teaching that stuff?

This didn't seem to be a case of them wanting to protect children from being embarassed... if it were then they wouldn't have done this (also from the article):

Teachers are "not providing the resource materials for parents to review," she said. In addition, parents were not allowed to take curriculum copies home.

Ann Althouse said...

Nick: I'm more against the school's decision than for it. I think there are good arguments on both sides. And though I don't think every teacher keen on teaching sex to kids and every parent eager to watch it is a pedophile, I worry that some are.

Mister DA said...

So, video tape the teacher giving the class, mute any questions by the students "looping," as they say in the movie biz,in another teacher's voice asking the question. Do the same with any discussion. Pain in the butt? Indeed, but probably a good project for a school district cable channel.

Kate Marie said...

Leeontheroad,

To argue that individual taxpayers (especially those whose children are attending the schools that their taxes subsidize) have a right to be informed about the curricula/teaching that their money supports is not the same as arguing that each individual taxpayer is the "boss" of every individual employee.

I like Timothy's suggestion about videotaping classes.

Harkonnendog said...

South Park is wondeful, wonderful, wonderful. The way language is used today you almost have to have a South Park in order to really talk about any PC subject.