MN: My experience opting out of sex ed class portion of Health class....

Anne Taylor lives in Minneapolis and writes about a personal experience with sex ed classes in her state.

The Common Core thing is slowly catching on in this state.  I’m not a native of MN, but I can tell you they are a little more reserved here & don’t like asking questions.

I recently became part of a group called Minnesotans Against Common Core (MACC).. Linda Bell is the administrator and has been giving talks to area schools, churches  & to parents, especially hit are home school families.

I knew PP was buried in the curriculum somewhere, but now there’s proof!  Click here.

I can tell you a story of how we were treated at my eldest daughter’s school when we opted-out of sex ed during her 6th grade year: 

The Health teacher penalized my child with ‘missing assignments’ for not doing the assignments even though we had permission to opt-out.  With opting-out a student is not required to do any of the assignments, nor can be penalized for it.   It took a lot of email requests(with no reply from the teacher) & about a month to get the missing assignments off my child’s record.  The school counselor ended up having to advocate to have the teacher remove the missing assignments.   Many don’t know there are state laws allowing parents to opt-out of Health class completely, not just the sex ed portion – parents have to ask – it is not a requirement for graduation during Middle school (at least in MN).  We didn't feel it was appropriate for our 11 year old (now in 8th grade), to be taught THC levels and different forms of contraception – and GRADED on it.  It was sad to realize that out of 300+ students, less than 10% of the parents showed for the sex-ed meeting with the Health teacher.  I asked for the text book from the school’s counselor and we reviewed at home according to OUR values.  She is aware of far more than her peers.  At the sex ed family meeting the following year for 7th graders, we were told Abortion wouldn't be discussed and it wasn't mentioned in their text book.  But I stuck to my guts and had my daughter take a study hall that quarter.  My daughter later informed me her peers told her the teacher DID tell the students, “Abortion is a surgical procedure where the fetus is removed from the mother.”  My daughter got a prompt, serious discussion on the reality of what that ‘surgical procedure’ entails.