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Parents urge clearer opt-out communication for wellness curriculum at Blackstone-Millville meeting
Summary
Parents criticized the district’s rollout of the wellness/health curriculum and asked for clearer opt-out procedures and messaging to children; the committee agreed to reconsider the curriculum on Feb. 6 and to provide more materials to families.
At a Jan. meeting of the Blackstone-Millville Regional School Committee, parents raised concerns about the district’s wellness and health curriculum and how opt-outs are handled.
"My name is Gino Elias. I have two children in the school," said parent Gino Elias during public comment, who said he was troubled that an opt-out could lead to a child being separated from classmates and then receiving a private explanation from an educator. Elias asked what the "universal message" from teachers would be to children told their peer was not participating. "They're not going to understand — they're going to know they're not with their friends in the classroom," he said.
Another parent, Chris Moren, told the committee he believes contentious topics should be handled by families and said the district should focus on academics. "My 7-year-old does not care who is sleeping with who," Moren said, arguing that the materials should have been brought to parents first.
The committee acknowledged the public comments and the chair said the item would be placed on the Feb. 6 agenda for reconsideration to allow more community review and discussion. Superintendent Jason DeFalco said the district had posted standards and changes on the website and that the administration could bring the timeline and materials to the February meeting so families have more time to review them.
Why it matters: Parents framed their concerns around student experience and transparency. The committee’s decision to put reconsideration on the Feb. 6 agenda gives families an additional formal opportunity to review materials and present feedback before a potential revote.
Next step: The curriculum reconsideration will appear on the Feb. 6 school committee agenda; administration committed to bringing timelines and materials in advance.
