In a meeting on Monday April 25, at Meridian Creek Middle School, the West Linn-Wilsonville school district held a parent input session. They invited parents to have an open discussion about the 2022 sexuality education curriculum. The task force asked for opinions on “updates to the curriculum materials and the agreements about practices and communication”.

In 2019, the school district adopted the 2016 Oregon Comprehensive Health Education Standards. The idea of these new standards is that “the standards cover broad areas including body image, media literacy, gender roles, relationships, and communication.” But some parents feel like these standards are too explicit and opinionated to be taught in public schools.

Despite the district’s attempt to create a space where parents could openly share their concerns, a strong and undebatable frustration ensued when time ran out. The attendees were unable to share opinions about the meeting as a whole. Instead the parents were told to give input in small groups with board members walking table to table. In addition a comment form was given to each parent in attendance.

A large number of parents cited their frustrations with the lack of communication from the district about how to opt out of sexuality education. The district’s solution is currently for elementary schools to send home a letter prior to teaching sexuality education. For both middle and high schools in the district a notice is sent to families at the beginning of the semester. The district also has opt out forms available on the district website.

Parents have also expressed frustration regarding the fact that they can not opt a child out of the entire health course unless they demonstrate “religious or disability-related reason,” in which they would need to provide written documentation, and prove to the school board that they are making up for the instruction at home.

A parent can however opt a child out of specific components of sexuality education. “According to Oregon Law, parents can opt their children out of any or all sexuality education components.” This is an Oregon Law rather than a district rule.

Another issue of concern for parents is that sexuality education allows for teachers to add their own personal opinions and values into the curriculum.

“There is too much wiggle room for teachers to teach outside curriculum,”one parent at the meeting said.

The district acknowledged the parents’ concerns in the 2022 Comprehensive sexuality education plan saying, “Teachers provide the information from approved materials without adding their values and beliefs, plan and teach class activities that do not ask students to share values and beliefs or personal experiences and direct students to discuss individual questions with their families.”

At around 8 p.m. the meeting dispersed, a half hour later than planned. No clear conclusion was met, and no testimony was spoken besides that in small groups. Still leaving the question, is it too little too late? As the teaching standards have already been adapted in 2019, and currently the district has not made public if they plan to change anything in the 2022 WLWV Comprehensive Sexuality Education Plan based upon this input session.