Michigan Sex Ed Law Concerns Educators

Local educators worry about how to comply with Michigan's new sex-education law, which requires an emphasis on abstinence and provides parents a complaint mechanism for schools that skirt the law. Some school districts are concerned about how to implement the law in time to teach sex-ed classes in spring, when they are typically offered. Districts must also revise advisory committees so that they include mostly parents.

Under the new law, sex-education programs must emphasize abstinence until marriage as a positive lifestyle choice to prevent HIV/STDs and unwanted pregnancies. In addition, students' parents must be notified in advance of the courses, letting them review materials and opt their children out. School boards would still decide what teachers could say to students in the courses.

The Michigan Department of Education will assist districts in being compliant and will investigate complaints, said Laurie Bechhofer, a department HIV/STD education consultant. Bechhofer could not provide specifics on how the state will help districts. "There are a lot of unanswered questions, and we'll know a lot more in a year from now," Bechhofer said.

As sex-ed is not mandatory, the courses may be dropped entirely by districts keen not to face complaints, educators fear. Schools that do not follow the law can be deprived of 1 percent of state funding.

Wendy Sellers, sex-ed coordinator for Eaton, Ingham and Clinton counties, said gay students cannot marry, so "apparently they're supposed to be abstinent their whole life." Some districts will be more sensitive than others to diversity among the students, she said, and some districts are considering skipping sex-ed altogether for at least a year.

Back to other news for July 23, 2004