Glad I don’t Live in California!

Radio Commentary, 90.7, 91.7 New Life FM, May 18, 2018 – By Sue Ella Deadwyler

You’ve probably heard that whatever happens in California spreads to the rest of the country. If true, we’re in for big trouble in Georgia, because parents of students in California have just been told they cannot opt their children out of the newly “integrated, comprehensive, accurate, and inclusive comprehensive sexual health education and HIV prevention education” for K – 12 students.

That opinion was published in the March 29th memo of Orange County Department of Education general council Ronald Wenkart who said, “Education Code Section 51938 allows a parent or guardian to excuse their child from all or part of comprehensive sexual health education.” Then, he said, “Parents who disagree with the instructional materials related to gender, gender ID, gender expression and sexual orientation may not excuse their children from this instruction. However, parents are free to advise their children that they disagree with some or all of the information presented in the instructional program and express their views on these subjects to their children.”

This government power grab violates the right of parents to determine the up-bringing of their children and every California parent should object to any school’s use of such indoctrination. In its analysis of the law, the California Department of Education infers that children have a right to engage in sexual relationships with other children, regardless of age. That is a false assumption.Then, it reveals that of 12 required instructional criteria of the sex education curriculum, three promote alternate lifestyles. They require students not only to recognize, but affirm sexual orientations and same-sex relationships and, to accomplish that, teachers are required to teach about gender, gender expression, gender identity, and the harm of negative gender stereotypes. To do so, the instruction gets unnecessarily explicit, ’way above age-appropriate.

California law prohibits any mention of religious doctrine and, expressly, prohibits abstinence-only instruction. California law describes a healthy sexual relationship as a relationship based on mutual affection and mutual consent, but no age limit. Now, remember, this sexual instruction is for children beginning in kindergarten and they cannot be opted-out.

Note what else the California law says, “Schools may not use materials that, in promoting abstinence, focus exclusively on the failure rates or perceived disadvantages of condoms or contraception.” For these and other facts access California’s Healthy Youth Act AB329, “Frequently Asked Questions.”

Currently, Georgia parents have opt-out privileges in education, but only God knows how long that will last. This year’s S.B. 437, which was a parental rights bill in Georgia, died in committee. For Georgia Insight I’m Sue Ella Deadwyler, your Capitol correspondent.