School Board scraps sex education guide
Sex educators got a homework assignment Thursday from the Clark County School Board -- craft a new teachers' guide for discussing statutory rape with students to replace an already purchased guide that was rejected in a vote of 4-1.
The job could cost the cash-strapped Clark County School District, which had to trim its budget by $93 million this year, an additional $2,200, estimated Jhone Ebert, the assistant superintendent of curriculum.
In an interview, Ebert explained that the subject is not the staff's area of expertise. "They will have to do some research," she said.
The teaching guide was intended to be used in high school classes such as childhood development and independent living.
In Nevada, statutory rape is defined as anyone age 18 or older engaging in intercourse with a person under age 16. The American Journal of Public Health and the Population Reference Bureau both report that two-thirds of teenage girls who give birth have babies fathered by men 20 and older.
The cost for purchasing the guides from Street Law Publications was not available Thursday night.
School board members said they were not opposed to high-school class discussions about statutory rape, but they did not like the way the material was presented in the guide called "Parents and the Law."
The guide suggested using different points of view for engaging students in a classroom discussion on the topic, including the perspective that in many cultures, older men marry much younger women.
School Board member Ruth Johnson said she has four daughters.
"I certainly want them to know about statutory rape, the information they need to be healthy and safe citizens, but we're not comfortable with them participating in the suggested discussions," Johnson said.
School Board Member Sheila Moulton also recognized the importance of discussing what statutory rape is, since it's not a topic many parents are likely to discuss with their children.
"I raised six kids," Moulton said. "I can't remember talking about that with them."
School Board members also did not like the rejected guide's suggestion of inviting lawyers and legislators to guest lecture. Only licensed teachers are allowed to teach sex education in Nevada.
Ebert, however, clarified that the lawyers would only speak to the law regarding statutory rape and not specifically about sex education.
Scow participated in the meeting by telephone because she was with her newborn 20th grandchild. Baby cries could be heard over the speaker phone early in the meeting before the infant was put to bed.
Scow joined board members Johnson, Moulton and Terri Janison in rejecting the guide and directing district staff to come up with new material of their own.
They were opposed by School Board Member Carolyn Edwards, who didn't see anything wrong with the material, noted the additional cost and did not want to override a 3-2 recommendation in favor of the guide by the district's Sex Education Advisory Committee.
Contact reporter James Haug at jhaug@reviewjournal.com or 702-799-2922.
