Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Parents urge Putnam board to reject HealthSmart and ETR; staff says state limits HOPE choices
Summary
At a Putnam County School Board workshop, several residents urged rejection of HealthSmart and ETR curricula over gender‑identity content and privacy concerns; staff told the board Florida law narrows HOPE choices to three state‑approved curricula and that "Choosing the Best" is not on that list.
Several residents at a Putnam County School Board workshop on instructional materials on Monday urged the board to reject two HOPE health curricula — ETR (sometimes referred to by speakers as E‑Dynamics) and HealthSmart — and to adopt an abstinence‑centered program called Choosing the Best.
Barbara Koy, a Putnam County resident, told the board, "Putnam County families, we deserve better. Our kids and our grandchildren deserve better. We deserve a curriculum that represents biological reality, protects privacy, honors parental authority, and actually lowers teen pregnancies and STDs." Koy said Pearson and ETR have ideological ties and urged the board to "reject both E Dynamics and HealthSmart and immediately begin the process to adopt Choosing the Best."
Several other speakers raised similar objections. Marshia Mezer said a Hope curriculum…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
