Parent urges review of human growth and development curriculum; advisory group set to propose middle-school changes

Rhonda Browning, a Sheboygan resident, told the Sheboygan Area School District Board of Education on Jan. 27 that the district's human growth and development curriculum contains material she considered inappropriate and asked the board to review it.

"Parts of it are simply pornographic," Browning said, and asked the board to "review the curriculum, send me the alternative classes, the opt out form, and the videos used in the sixth to eighth grade class." She said she could not find the curriculum materials on the district website and asked for greater transparency about what is taught and how parents may opt their children out.

The board's Human Growth and Development Citizens Advisory Committee reported that it is reviewing the district's middle-school standards and priorities and has formed subcommittees to examine which topics should be taught at which grade levels. Kaye Robbins, speaking for the committee, said committee members were asked to select subcommittees and that the groups will meet on Feb. 10 at North High School. "Our goal is to have the proposed middle school curriculum ready for the board in May," Robbins said.

The district's written guidelines for community input, read aloud before public comments, direct speakers to state and spell their name and address for the record and note that the board normally receives citizen input without responding at the meeting; the superintendent or an administrative staff member will follow up within a week if an answer is needed. Browning said the district website states that parents must contact their child's teacher to opt out; she said she could not find the alternative-class descriptions or the opt-out form on the site.

Committee members also noted that the advisory group will review proposed curriculum materials in advance and discuss them with the larger committee before presenting recommendations to the board. The committee added Ty Smith as an additional student representative at a recent meeting.

No formal board action on the curriculum was taken during the meeting. The advisory committee's stated timetable anticipates committee meetings in February and a formal recommendation to the board in May.

The board's next step, according to the advisory committee report, is for subcommittees to meet on Feb. 10 to prepare recommended grade-level standards for middle school health instruction; the full advisory committee will then synthesize those recommendations into a proposal to the board.