Photo by Vic Diaz/Downey Register
The Downey Unified School District is in the midst of criticism from parents, local residents and parent advocacy groups as a result of state-mandated changes in its Sex Education curriculum.
This school year, Downey Unified implemented the curriculum changes in accordance with the California Healthy Youth Act which was enacted in January of 2016. According to the DUSD webpage dedicated to answering questions regarding the CHYA, “The bill requires school districts to ensure that all pupils in grades seven and up receive comprehensive sexual health education and HIV prevention education.”
On Tuesday, representatives from the parent advocacy group Mass Resistance visited the district office in an attempt to confront board members regarding the district’s CHYA-compliant curriculum changes. The California chapter of Mass Resistance is headquartered in Torrance and claimed to have protested at DUSD on behalf of Downey parents. Mass Resistance was connected to the district by way of a Downey resident who although does not have a student in the district, opposes the CHYA curriculum changes. Mass Resistance also has chapters in Colorado, Texas, and Massachusetts, all of which are listed on the Southern Poverty Law Center’s 2018 list of anti-LGBT hate groups.
Arthur Schaper, Organization Director for Mass Resistance, shared a video on his Facebook page in which DUSD Board Member Mark Morris was confronted by protestors outside the district office. Schaper also shared images which he claims are materials included in DUSD’s Sex Education curriculum. Ashley Greaney, Public Relations Coordinator for DUSD, refuted the alleged materials, stating that DUSD is only using materials that were approved by the district. Greaney added that these materials are available for public viewing at the district office.
“We’re shouting from the rooftops, we want parents to be informed and to know exactly what their students are learning,” Greaney said, “We wanted to be as conservative as possible with how we rolled this out, and we believe this is the best way to do that.”
The CHYA webpage on the DUSD site displays a timeline of events that led to the district’s implementation of the curriculum. The timeline includes the district’s notification by the ACLU of non-compliance with the CHYA, meeting with a representative of the Los Angeles County Office of Education, and the eventual approval of the materials by the DUSD Board of Education.
Parents are able to voluntarily remove their students from learning this new curriculum by providing a note to their school’s front office stating that they wish to opt-out their students from the particular lesson plan. Parents do not have to give a reason or explanation, and students will not lose course credit for not participating.
More information regarding the DUSD curriculum changes in compliance with the CHYA can be found on the district website; additional information regarding the California Healthy Youth Act can be found on the official website for the California Department of Education.