School nurse describes fourth- and fifth-grade puberty lessons; board approves policy 13-10

Becca Winchester, the school nurse at West Elementary, told the Swain County Board of Education how the district delivers puberty education to fourth- and fifth-graders and explained the district’s current opt-in consent process.

Winchester said she and the social worker present a video to students, do not allow spontaneous question-and-answer in the classroom, and accept written questions that staff will review. “In the past, prior to parents' bill of rights, it was an opt out,” Winchester said. “So after talking to our state consultants, this year we went forward with the opt in form. So we sent these out to all parents.” She told the board her team typically receives about 80% of consent forms back and that only “1 to 2 per grade level” usually opt out.

The nut graf: the presentation clarified classroom content and parental consent practice. Winchester said the lessons focus on hygiene and the physical changes of puberty and that teachers screen students’ written questions for appropriateness; she said the instruction does not include discussion of gender-identity instruction, beyond assigning male or female forms to the students identified as such for the purposes of sending materials.

Board members discussed whether to change the policy language but some members asked for more time to review suggested edits and administrator feedback. The board later voted in the action portion of the meeting to approve board policy 13-10 (parent involvement) along with related student-health and bullying policies as presented.

Ending: Board members asked staff to refine consent communication so parents receive forms reliably (for example, adding opt-in consent to the district’s Infinite Campus registration) and tentatively scheduled additional review if needed before policy implementation.