Voting on Sex Ed



This post is not meant to promote or condemn sex education in public schools—it’s meant to congratulate a small group of Washington citizens who garnered a record number of signatures during a pandemic, allowing Referendum 90 to be on November’s ballot. The intent of Referendum 90 is to allow voters a chance to weigh-in on Washington’s comprehensive sex-ed measure passed by the legislature and signed into law by Governor Jay Inslee late last year.




Whitney Holz of Informed Parents of Washington was overwhelmed by the support of parents and community members as they gathered signatures. Their issue with the current law is that it doesn’t allow enough local control. The Informed Parents are not against sex education in school—but are concerned with losing the opportunity to have input into the programs selected and how it is presented to children. 


Certainly there are those who may not want any sex ed in schools, and regardless if Referendum 90 passes, parents can opt their kids out. Spoiler alert: Comprehensive Sex Ed is here to stay.







The arguments about early sexualization of our kids are real—but this isn’t the world I grew up in. Kids are bombarded with sexualized messages. Child abuse is also real, and kids need to know what’s appropriate touch and what isn’t. Sex education can help in this—so can parents talking with their children. Informed Parents of Washington want the opportunity to be part of the curriculum decision making, rather than the government. 


Regardless of your vote, you have to hand it to a group of citizens concerned enough about the quality and content of their children’s education that they were able to do this in record time with a record amount of signatures. That’s democracy in action. 


Sadly, as a long-term school volunteer, I wish we could have this kind of interest, involvement, and impact every school year—from folks on both sides of the issue. Education for our students is so much more than sex ed, and having school volunteers is as critical as the curriculum. I say this too often, but the future success of our nation depends on today's kids.


Popular posts from this blog

Dreaming the Dream

Image
Dreaming big dreams about the future is easy for kids. The only thing standing in the way is time.  Kid’s dreams are not about skills, or opportunities, or even practicality. Those things come much later.  My grandson hopes to be professional soccer player when he grows up. This week, a small piece of his dream came true when his Boys and Girls Club was invited to participate in pre-game activities with the Seattle Sounders Football Club.  He got to suit up in a real jersey and walk on the field with a real pro player. Imagine a young soccer player looking up to who he hopes to be one day. If you haven’t taken the time to talk to a child about their future dreams—you should.  They believe. As we get older we sometimes forget that dreams fuel our hopes—and that's something we all need. So, do you still dream? Or have you left those childhood thoughts behind?  S pending time with children will  inspire you to believe agai
Read more

Wild or Tame? Which One Are You?

Image
Finally! Research that explains why I act the way I do. Columbia University’s Motivational Science Center studied people’s activities and what brought them the most happiness. Even more telling were how those activities changed as they aged. Twenty-somethings tend to equate happiness with high-energy activities. Words like excited and ecstatic are usually attached to spontaneous things—even risky things—and living life full throttle.  Researchers labeled this Promotion Motivation —the urge to take chances, including career moves that may not work out. Happiness comes from happenings—the more happenings, the more happiness. By age forty, adults associate happiness with things running smoothly at work and home. It’s also about feeling secure in relationships. Keeping healthy matters more too. This behavior is called Prevention Motivation —and people are more concerned with preserving and maintaining the things they value. It appears that time ofte
Read more

The Quiet Dad

Image
After my granddaughter’s gymnastics, she’d always ask to go to the park next door—even in the winter. When you’re a high energy child, cold is relative. Our routine seemed to overlap with a dad and his son. I’d watch them as I watched my granddaughter go through her favorite activities—crossbar, swings, spinner, and the curly slide.  But the dad was not doing the same. He’d go hand-in-hand with his boy—pointing to trees, clouds, and the texture of the grass. I could see they were in a different place—one of sights, smells, and feels.   His son didn’t speak, so the father spoke into the silence around them. Since it was winter, the park was quiet—just the four of us—an energetic girl, and a boy who experienced the park in a way I never had.   We were at the same place, but in different worlds.    I saw a father’s love for his son expressed in quiet words of exploration. Never once did his son use the swing or try the crossbars. His world was spent touching tree bark and looking a
Read more