California: Fremont School Board Considers Sex Education for Junior High Students

On Tuesday, the Fremont school board was scheduled to consider two sex education curricula for seventh- and eighth-grade students. Board members will study the programs, "FLASH" and "Teen Talk," amid rumors that some trustees want to remove sex education altogether from the district's junior high schools.

While school districts in California are not required to provide sex education, those that do are mandated to offer a comprehensive curriculum that addresses both abstinence and safe sex. A review by the Public Health Institute found that a junior high curriculum offered last year in the district was not compliant with the state law, prompting the school board to search for a new one.

Trustee Ivy Wu said she does not understand why people are assuming the board will eliminate sex education altogether. Rather, board member Carol Zilli said some on the board just want to ensure that whatever curriculum is selected is right for Fremont students.

"If a curriculum is not the best, if it has dangerous ramifications, I see no harm in waiting until you get [a better one]. That doesn't mean those of us who feel this way say 'Never, never, never' to sex ed. We're saying 'Quality, quality, quality,'" said Zilli.

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