Family Values submits morals proposal

By Wendy Y. Lawton

Colorado for Family Values has expanded on its sexual morality proposal for District 11 and formally submitted the policy to the D-11 school board.

For weeks, the school board has been receiving CFV-printed postcards calling for a districtwide rule pushing abstinence and traditional marriage and discouraging promiscuity.

Now, CFV is following up the postcards with a policy draft to District 11 board members.

The four-paragraph proposal states that students must be taught the "deleterious effects of experimental and promiscuous sexual activity" in areas of "curriculum, instruction, and student environment involving issues of sex education, health, inter-personal relationships and any other areas of sexual content." The draft also states students must be taught the benefits of abstinence.

According to district guidelines, all this already happens in the classroom. Students learn about AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases in health class; They are told abstinence is the most effective way to prevent them.

What would be new for D-11 is the focus on traditional marriage, which CFV chairman Will Perkins has defined as a union between a man and a woman. Under the proposal, students would be taught the "benefits" of this kind of marriage in preventing teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.

Right now, the district doesn't define traditional marriage as a heterosexual union -- although it is clearly implied in health class, said Bev Tarpley, director of instruction for D-11.

"It's taken for granted that when you're talking about a marriage, it's between a man and woman, but we don't come out and put in on the chalkboard," Tarpley said.

And while there are lessons on the importance of two-parent families, there are none that promote heterosexual marriage over homosexual marriage. Tarpley said that would send the wrong message to those students whose parents are gay.

"We want to be real careful," she said. "We don't want to denigrate those kids or say to them `you don't count.'"

What's next to be decided is whether the school board will even take up the proposal.

Board Vice President Sherry Butcher said an answer may not come soon.

She said the board must get moving on how to spend $99.8 million in bond money for new schools and renovations. Plus, she said, board members are still getting feedback on the sex policy.

Some of that feedback is coming from CFV's postcard campaign. So far, 1,760 postcards urging the board to pass the policy have been received. CFV said it has printed 130,000 cards.

A statement supporting the policy has also been sent by CFV to the El Paso County legislative delegation, which will then be forwarded to the board.

Rep. Doug Dean, R-Colorado Springs, said he circulated and signed the letter because he'd like to see local school districts teach pure abstinence, with no discussion of birth control.

"Our current sex education policies say sex is dangerous, but here's how to use a condom," Dean said. "That's a subject that should be left alone."

But Rep. Marcy Morrison, R-Manitou Springs, did not sign the statement. While Morrison said she also supports teaching abstinence, the former Manitou school board member didn't feel comfortable as a state politician telling a local school board what to do.

"We have better things to do than get involved in local school board policy," Morrison said. "Why don't we just mind our own business? Why are we getting in the middle of this?"

Date: Fri, 17 Jan 1997 22:58:51 -0800
From: Doug Case Doug.Case@sdsu.edu
Subject: UPI: Will Perkins at it again in CO

UPI

(COLORADO SPRINGS) _ About 900 people showed up for the Colorado Springs school board meeting last night and quickly turned it into a showdown over students' sexual conduct. Colorado for Family Values chairman Will Perkins said it is clear there is a need for a simple, concise, sexual conduct policy. About half of the crowd backed Perkins' call for students to be warned about promiscuity and taught the benefits of abstinence. The other half of the crowd called it all an attempt to censor school newspapers. Perkins launched the drive after an article last fall in the Palmer High School newspaper, 'The Lever', on issues faced by gay teens.