California: Petition Drive in the Works to Severely Restrict Sex Ed

On Tuesday, Tony Andrade -- who led the drive to put Gov. Gray Davis' recall on the state ballot in 2003 -- launched a petition drive for a proposition to significantly restrict sex education in California public schools. The petition's language -- written by Attorney General Bill Lockyer's staff and released Wednesday by Secretary of State Kevin Shelley's office -- calls for a ban on sex education in kindergarten through sixth grade and daily parental permission slips for older pupils.

The petition infers that schools are teaching bestiality, pedophilia, and necrophilia alongside discussions of homosexuality and domestic partnerships by grouping them all together as topics that would require parental permission. Sandra Jackson, spokesperson for the California Teachers Association, said this is not the case. "I think teachers would probably be appalled to find it even suggested that it would be taught. It's not part of any curriculum."

Last fall, Andrade worked with Traditional Values Coalition, Save California, and other groups to collect 100,000 signatures for a similar initiative. A legal challenge derailed that effort.

Andrade calls his initiative "Civil Rights for Families." Under it, elementary school sexual health lessons, which typically cover topics like menstruation and other puberty issues, would be banned. Health instruction -- including lectures, counseling, questions, books, and wall posters -- for older students would require daily written parental permission. The initiative is not limited to health education: High school history and social studies classes would also need daily permission to discuss sex-related current events.

State law currently requires parental notification at least 14 days before any sexual health lesson, offers previews of all instruction materials, and allows parents to opt their children out of sex education classes.

Andrade said his goal is for schools not to promote homosexuality and deviant sexual behavior, adding that he was inspired by his fear that gays are using high schools as a recruiting ground. He has until June 3 to garner 373,816 signatures.

Back to other news for January 6, 2005