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Sex ed talk goes too far for parents

June 12, 2012 @ 4:10 am (Updated: 7:02 am - 6/12/12 )

What should an educator do? A student asks a question during a sex education class that's not covered in the approved curriculum. The principal answers it. The question was about oral and anal sex.

Parents in the small town of Onalaska in Lewis County are upset that their fifth graders heard a graphic discussion about those sex acts. They told KING 5 the topic was too mature for 10- and 11-year-old children.

"What gives this woman the right to come down here and go above our authority, is the way I look at it," says parent Curt Pannkuk.

"I was one pissed off cowboy," says James Gilliland, another parent.

FlashTechnically, the discussion was too advanced. Though some districts have different names for it, here's the Family Life and Sexual Health (FLASH) curriculum approved for use in Washington public schools:

Lesson plans for 4th, 5th and 6th graders

Lesson plans for 7th and 8th graders

Lesson plans for high school students

Since 1988, state law has required some sort of sex education beginning at 4th grade.

School districts send notices to parents about the curriculum and they can opt out of the curriculum.

"I think the principal handled it appropriately at the time; she only gave factual information, no demonstrations," says Onalaska Superintendent Scott Fenter. "In 6th grade they start becoming sexually aware and you've got to teach them ahead of time."

By LINDA THOMAS

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Comments (21)


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  • SickofSeattleite wrote...
    this should be the parents responsibility....
    June 12, 2012 6:08 am
    however, all the TV most parents let their kids watch would explain and demonstrate just about everything.
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  • Hectic wrote...
    Haha
    June 12, 2012 6:19 am
    If these parents think their 11 and 12 year olds know nothing about sex, they are truly fooling themselves. Kids need to get ALL the facts, BEFORE, not after. Stupid parents; no wonder the teen birth rate is so high in places like Lewis County. I guarantee the "pissed off cowboy," was a father before he was out of high school, or at least before he was married.
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  • Country_Dog wrote...
    Power to the Pissed Off Cowboys!
    June 12, 2012 6:22 am
    They can solve everything and they would NOT let their kids watch TV and have Sookie explain sex to their kids. When the Jerseys need feeding, the New Jerseyans have to wait.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • kiddenme wrote...
    those parents should ride the bus with their kids
    June 12, 2012 7:44 am
    they would soon realize that the school was teaching the mild stuff
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • skottedont wrote...
    Oh God NO!!!!
    June 12, 2012 8:04 am
    Not education!!! Anything but education!!! They're ruining everything, run for the hills!!!!
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  • kata wrote...
    What should an educator do?
    June 12, 2012 9:05 am
    Gather questions that go beyond the appointed curriculum and talk to the parents before arranging a follow up lesson if it's okay-ed. This way the kids stay informed, the parents know what their kids are asking and the teacher gets to keep their trust.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Pete in Seattle wrote...
    Who to learn from....
    June 12, 2012 9:54 am
    Whether or not Sex Ed should be taught in schools or if parents should be able to opt out is not the real issue. Are the same parents who object to Sex Ed in schools the ones who are not comfortable talking openly about it with their kids? Are the children comfortable asking parents about it or do they feel better asking some other trusted individual? Are the children somehow "ashamed" to ask those they know best about it? And what if all the parents provide is a "all sex is sin" type of explanation? What about parents who don't want their children to grow up and leave the nest so they put off the discussion until it is too late?
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  • Phil B wrote...
    Oh brother.
    June 12, 2012 10:41 am
    "I was one pissed off cowboy," says James Gilliland, another parent. Says it all really. Apaprently kids should learn about sex from their friends or watching farm animals like the good Lord intended.
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  • tbookout17 wrote...
    "she only gave factual information, no demonstrations'
    June 12, 2012 11:11 am
    Well I sure as heck hope she didn't give a demonstration of oral and/or anal!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Hayduke wrote...
    Would these parents rather they get the "facts" from friends?
    June 12, 2012 11:54 am
    I'm gonna take a wild guess and assume that these complainers have told their kids little to nothing about this stuff. But the kids are itching to learn about it somehow, somewhere. You can't just turn that switch off.

    I know, I know, 'you can't get pregnant or an STD from abstinence,' right?

    Too bad studies show that abstinence education has no positive effect, and may even make the problem worse. But I'm sure that won't stop these parents from believing and teaching as they wish. Too bad; their kids will pay the price in the end.

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