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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend January 12, 2006 Parents can follow along on sex-ed lesson plans On the Web The school board will consider adopting the revised health curriculum at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the cafeteria at South Medford High School, 815 S. Oakdale Ave. To view the new curriculum, visit www.medford.k12.or.us on the Web or the district office at 500 Monroe St. By PARIS ACHEN Mail Tribune New standardized lesson plans on sex education have been added to proposed health curriculum the Medford school board will consider adopting Tuesday. Complete with scripted introductions, the lesson plans spell out what each health teacher would be required to present to students in grades 7, 8 and 10 regarding contraception and prevention of HIV/AIDS and venereal diseases. Advertisement The lesson plans and curriculum are available at the district’s Web site. Under the direction of the school board, health teachers crafted the detailed lesson plans last month after some parents expressed concerns about the discussion of contraceptives in the eighth grade. "Public comments at the last board meeting suggested parents would feel more comfortable if there was more specificity on what’s covered," said Todd Bloomquist, curriculum director. "The curriculum is what it is, the result of work that’s been done over the last two years. This (new piece) allows the community to see exactly what would be taught in the classroom." State law requires school districts to add discussion of contraception to the eighth-grade health curriculum by 2007. Proposed eighth-grade health units would also address injury, violence and suicide prevention, physical fitness, alcohol and drug use and prevention of venereal disease and HIV/AIDS. The proposed seventh-grade curriculum would cover HIV/AIDS prevention, nutrition and alcohol and drug use. Parents have the option of excluding their children from the sex-education lessons. Parents will be notified before the lessons take place, Bloomquist said. Currently, contraception is not introduced in the Medford district until the 10th grade. Lesson details differ from teacher to teacher and school to school. If adopted Tuesday, the Medford district’s revised health curriculum would be effective in the fall. "Most people expect sex education in high school," Bloomquist said. "The question was do we really need to do it in the eighth grade? "When we looked at teen surveys, we found one-fifth of students are in some way sexually active. That’s a fair number, and kids need to know how to protect themselves. We can’t get around that. It’s in the law." District health teachers spent 18 months developing the proposed health curriculum, which had not been updated for a decade. They presented their proposal in November, sparking controversy among opponents and proponents of middle-school sex education. The health curriculum will be critiqued each year, Bloomquist said. The district plans to appoint a team of health teachers and community members to evaluate the curriculum and make any necessary revisions. Reach reporter Paris Achen at 776-4459 or e-mail Parents can follow along on sex-ed lesson plans ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker Distance Education Computer Security Cheap Website Hosting Discount Hotel Reservations dvd-r Online Pharmacy Myspace Home Equity Loans Windermere Van Vleet Deep Muscle Stimulator Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews High End Computers Online Casino News Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Online Casino Fundraisers Student Loans Advertisement s