Board to seek state guidance after parents raise concerns about coed reproductive-health lessons

The Duval County School Board heard concerns from members and parents that middle-school health lessons include coed instruction on reproductive anatomy and self‑examinations, and directed staff to seek Department of Education guidance and return with implementation and staffing recommendations before the next school year.

Heather Albertson, who described how the district currently notifies families, said that teachers are required to provide lesson information to parents: "The expectation is at the beginning of the school year, parents have the opportunity to receive this through the school ... 2 weeks prior to instruction from their health education teacher, the teacher is required to send this letter home hard copy in specific languages," Albertson said. Several board members reported that parents they had spoken with were unaware the curriculum includes instruction on reproductive health and that, in middle school, some lessons are delivered in coed classrooms with group work that may involve discussions of breast- and testicular‑self-exams.

Board members proposed several responses: (1) require gender-separated instruction or at least gender-separated group work for sensitive reproductive-health lessons in grades 6–8; (2) improve parent notification and make the lesson summaries more visible and accessible; and (3) gather data on how many schools lack certified health teachers and how the district will staff gender-separated lessons where only one instructor is available.

Staff told the board the state curriculum contains specific language that must be taught and that the district can and does train staff to create classroom trust and ground rules for sensitive topics. Staff also said they had emailed the state Department of Education for guidance on whether gender separation is required, allowed or recommended and that they would return with a policy recommendation and staffing allocation data. The board asked for any policy language to be in place before the next school year.

Outcome and next steps: staff will (a) consult the Florida Department of Education for clarification on whether reproductive-health lessons must be delivered coed or may be separated by biological sex, (b) provide counts of health teachers and staffing options, and (c) return with revised policy language and communication materials to be used when lessons are scheduled. Several board members said they prefer gender-separated group work for the most sensitive lessons rather than imposing a full opt-in system that might reduce access.

Why this matters: the content and delivery of reproductive-health instruction triggers strong parental interest and touches on state curriculum mandates, student privacy and logistics for delivering instruction equitably across the district.