Anti-abortion Crisis Pregnancy Centers

"The Alpha Center's abstinence-only till marriage and STD/HIV curriculum is not in compliance with the Poudre School District's Comprehensive Health Policy.
It is my recommendation that Poudre School District board members.district officials.school administrators.review carefully and in a very timely manner the findings and evidence presented in this report and move quickly to terminate the abstinence-only till marriage STD/HIV curriculum presentations presented
by the local crisis pregnancy center, The Alpha Center."

1. It is my recommendation as a parent of two daughters in the Poudre School District and it is the recommendation of Life and Liberty for Women, that the Poudre School District move quickly to adopt a district-wide comprehensive sex education curriculum taught in-house by its own district teachers that includes a proven abstinence curriculum and a scientifically based and proven HIV/STD and contraceptive curriculum.

2. It is my recommendation that Poudre School District officials responsible for seeing to the adherence by all district schools to the spirit and letter of the district's comprehensive health education policy, review carefully and in a very timely manner the findings and evidence presented in this report and move quickly to terminate the abstinence-only till marriage STD/HIV curriculum presentations presented district wide by the local crisis pregnancy center, The Alpha Center.

3. It is my recommendation that individual school administrators responsible for their own school's adherence to the spirit and letter of the district's comprehensive health education policy, review carefully and in a very timely manner

the findings and evidence presented in this report and move quickly to terminate the abstinence-only till marriage STD/HIV curriculum presentations presented by the local crisis pregnancy center, The Alpha Center.

***The Alpha Center's abstinence-only till marriage and STD/HIV curriculum is not in compliance with the Poudre School District's Comprehensive Health Policy.

In a March 3, 2003 Fort Collins Coloradoan Newspaper article, reporter Stacy Nick noted that the Poudre School District, "sex education curriculum is based on abstinence but also provides information on the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases, on STDS, and pregnancy.Sex education begins in seventh grade with basic biology. By 10th grade, the curriculum expands to include contraceptives, including condoms." Nick's article also stated, "The district is preparing to start a new abstinence-based sex education program," she said, "called 'Sex Can Wait.' Instead of abstinence-only programs, it includes information on birth control, specifically condoms, which fit in with the district's policy of teaching about sexually transmitted diseases.

"It is my recommendation that the Poudre School District move quickly to adopt a district-wide comprehensive sex education curriculum taught in-house by its own district teachers that includes a proven abstinence curriculum and a scientifically based proven HIV/STD and contraceptive curriculum."

The Alpha Center's abstinence-only till marriage STD/HIV curriculum is also not in compliance with, Poudre School District's High School Health Course stated philosophy, goals, standards and objectives in their human sexuality health course. (Copy Enclosed) Below is a portion of my daughter's 2001 health class course description.

Human Sexuality Philosophy Policy at the Senior High School level - Rocky Mountain High School Handout 2001- consists of:
{but not limited to these items}

Statement: The High School Health Course will provide current, accurate information regarding human sexuality throughout the life span, acknowledging a variety of belief systems to promote responsible personal sexual decisions.

Sexuality Unit Standards includes:
•	Students will know up-to-date information about abstinence, pregnancy and prevention.
•	Students will know accurate and current information regarding STD/STI'S and know how to avoid behaviors that risk infection.

Unit Objectives includes:
•	Understand how conception occurs and methods of preventing unwanted pregnancy.
•	Define STD, methods of transmission, physiological effects and prevention.

The Alpha Center's abstinence-only till marriage and STD/HIV curriculum deliberately contains misleading and inaccurate information regarding, but not limited to HIV/AIDS, STDs, and the ability of condoms to prevent STDs and HIV transmission.

Again from the March 3, 2003 Fort Collins Coloradoan article, Brian Oliver, then PSD Science and Health Curriculum Coordinator and now one of the five curriculum Generalists, said the information included in the presentation he attended in 2002 disturbed him. "He said he was upset that the group made the statement that condoms were like a mesh material, which viruses such as AIDS easily could penetrate. 'The Alpha Center teacher told the students that is was like playing tennis with BBs."

"The Alpha Center's choice to deliberately disseminate inaccurate information
and oppose the dissemination of birth control information to teenagers
is a direct result of their religious and philosophical beliefs.
it is wrong to deliberately place Poudre School District Students at risk
to further any one particular community organization's religious,
philosophical, and political beliefs or agenda."

The Alpha Center's choice to deliberately disseminate inaccurate information and oppose the dissemination of birth control information to teenagers is a direct result of their religious and philosophical beliefs that sex is only appropriate and moral inside the confines of marriage and their religious belief that all but barrier forms of birth control operate as an abortifacient or that is they believe they interfere after conception and cause an abortion. It is wrong to deliberately place Poudre School District students at risk to further any one particular community organization's religious, philosophical, and political beliefs or agenda.

Responding to my complaints in 2001 to the inaccuracies I witnessed in my daughter's Rocky Mountain High School health class presentation by the Alpha Center,(one being: "Condoms are meant to protect you from pregnancy not HIV.") my daughter's teacher told me that she makes sure her students are provided with "both sides." My daughter's teacher accomplishes that by supplementing the Alpha Center's presentation with a presentation from someone who, by way of the reasoning she submits for doing so, is,

unlike the Alpha Center, providing scientifically accurate information on HIV/STDS, condoms and other forms of contraceptives.

But a sex education curriculum should not be about "providing both sides," as if the information being presented to our students about abstinence, pregnancy prevention, STDs, and HIV prevention, is up for debate as to its accuracy or truthfulness. It should be about the presentation of scientifically proven accurate and truthful information, period.

4. It is my recommendation that district board members, district administrators and individual school administrators who are responsible for the district's adherence to the spirit and letter of Colorado state statutes addressing sex education in the state's public schools, review carefully and in a very timely manner the findings and evidence presented in this report and move quickly to terminate the abstinence-only till marriage STD/HIV curriculum presentations presented by the local crisis pregnancy center, The Alpha Center.

"The Alpha Center's sex education curriculum presentations in the district classrooms places the district out of compliance with Article 25 {of the Colorado State Statues} which states 'A school district's health education program shall include factual information regarding HIV infection and how the virus is transmitted."

The Alpha Center's sex education curriculum does not fall within the perimeter of the legislative directive contained in Article 25 of the Colorado Revised Statutes that declares that comprehensive heath education is an essential element of public education in the state of Colorado.

The Alpha Center's sex education curriculum presentations in district classrooms places the district out of compliance with Article 25, which states, "A school district's health education program shall include factual information regarding HIV infection and how the virus is transmitted. Students shall be told what voluntary behaviors put them at risk of infection and also students shall be motivated to prevent infection by making wise decisions in their daily lives."

5. It is my recommendation that Poudre school district board members, administrators and teachers begin the much-needed step toward complying with the Poudre School District comprehensive health education policy and the state statue legislative declarative by first embracing two well-proven and scientifically based curriculums, Sex

Can Wait, an abstinence curriculum and Reducing the Risk, a HIV/STD and contraceptive curriculum, that would be taught in-house district-wide and two, by terminating the Alpha Center's abstinence-only till marriage sex and HIV/STD curriculum presentations district-wide which places the district out of compliance with its health education policy and Colorado State Statues.

It is my understanding that Poudre School District administrative officials are now preparing to introduce to the school board, individual school administrators and teachers a scientifically based comprehensive sex education curriculum that includes a strong proven abstinence curriculum, Sex Can Wait, and a strong proven contraceptive curriculum, Reducing the Risk, that was recommended by the health advisory committee at the end of the 2002-2203 school year. District educators' district-wide would teach both sections of the sex education program in-house and parents would have the opportunity to place their children into the abstinence program and/or the contraceptive program or neither. I personally would have my daughters attend both classes.

I have looked at both those curriculums and found them to be good solid proven curriculums. I was impressed with the way Sex Can Wait addressed the issue of self-esteem and values, and helped teens, which rarely see beyond the moment, contemplate their future. I was impressed with how the curriculum made every effort to include parents making several opportunities for parents and their teenagers, who often find it difficult or impossible to have discussions on issues surrounding sex, to communicate about sex, values and goals during homework assignments.

I was also impressed with the number of lessons and the length of time spent on this curriculum as was also the case with the Reducing the Risk HIV/contraceptive curriculum. As you will see later in this report, a 2000 study, "Sex Education In America," by the Henry Kaiser Family Foundation, which interviewed some 1,501 pairs of parents and teens, found that parents and their teens alike desired more time be spent on sex education curriculum - not less. More meaning at least half a semester if not more than that.

I also like Sex Can Wait's emphasis on gender role discussions noting that "way too often discussions of sexual responsibility have been geared toward females. This double standard needs to be addressed by explicit discussion of male sexual responsibility. To encourage the postponement of early sexual involvement, males must be made aware of their role in human reproduction and their responsibilities in relationships." The curriculum makes clear that sexual responsibility is a two-way street.

I personally, as the mother of two daughters, believe that as a society we have failed in educating young males that they, not just females, have both the responsibility and the means and the power to prevent unintended pregnancies and disease transmission. Males must be taught early on that they, not just females, are responsible for saying "no" and being diligent about the use of a condom, even if his female partner takes the birth control pill or uses another method of female birth control.

"I understand that strategies to implement Poudre School District's Human Sexuality Goals and Objectives.are currently a site-based decision.that has allowed for unchecked implementation practices that are not in keeping with the district's health education policy.site-based tailoring should never take on such a life of its own as to place the district out of compliance with its stated comprehensive health education policy or Article 25 of the Colorado Revised Statues."

Life and Liberty for Women too believes and strongly puts forth the understanding that reducing the number of abortions in this country is a function of reducing unintended pregnancies and that one of the four key components to accomplishing that is men and condoms. As condoms are 98% effective, if used consistently and correctly, in preventing pregnancy and preventing HIV transmission and the transmission of all STDS except skin-to-skin contact STDS where the condom would not cover, if every man wore a condom when he had sex and was not prepared to become a father, married or not, guess how many unintended pregnancies there wouldn't be? And how many abortions would be avoided. And how many less transmissions of HIV/STDS would be avoided.

I was also very impressed with the HIV/contraceptive curriculum, Reducing the Risk. It is a well-proven curriculum that received praise by the National Campaign To Prevent Teen Pregnancy in their study,

Emerging Answers published in May 2001. Dr. Douglas Kirby, PhD, said in Emerging Answers of Reducing the Risk, "it delayed the onset of intercourse and increased the use of condoms or contraceptives among some groups of youth. This is the first time that research on replications of a sex education program has confirmed initial findings of effectiveness."

6. Further, I understand that strategies to implement Poudre School District's Human Sexuality Goals and Objectives from elementary age through the high school age are currently a site-based decision.

In that March 3, 2003 Fort Collins Coloradoan newspaper article, Brian Oliver, a curriculum Generalists with the district, stated that the decision to allow the Alpha Center to make the presentations is a site-based decision, not a district decision. That has allowed for unchecked implementation practices that are not in keeping with the district's health education policy.

I as a parent and a spokesperson for Life and Liberty for Women recognize and acknowledge the need for and the advantages of some site-based decisions or individual school and teacher autonomy to apply some individual site-based implementation strategies upon some district policy and curriculum. However, the issue of sex education is too controversial and too important to all our children's immediate and future health for district school board officials, district administrators, school administrators, and district educators not to agree to abandon hodge-podge site-based implementation practices, including the Alpha Center's appearance in some schools in some classrooms presenting an abstinence-only till marriage STD/HIV curriculum and instead embrace the Sex Can Wait and Reducing the Risk curriculums that will bring the district into compliance with their own

comprehensive health education policy and the legislative declarative in Article 25 of the Colorado State Statues.

I would add here that I and Life and Liberty for Women recognize that the Poudre School District serves a diverse population of students with very different needs even from one individual school to another. Also recognized and acknowledged is the need for some site-based autonomy in tailoring some specific or particular parts or exercises in the Sex Can Wait and Reducing the Risk curriculum to the particular needs of the student population they serve, however, site-based tailoring should never take on such a life of its own as to place the district out of compliance with its stated comprehensive health education policy or Article 25 of the Colorado Revised Statues.

By not requiring or providing a single district-wide proven abstinence-based comprehensive sex education curriculum that is scientifically accurate and which strictly adheres to the district policy of comprehensive health education, district school board members, district administrative officials and school administrators and educators expose district students to an abstinence-only till marriage and STD/HIV curriculum that does not deal with the reality of teenage sexual activity and promotes a specific religious belief about what information teenagers should or should not be given regarding sex, STD/HIV transmission and prevention and contraceptives, especially condoms. The Alpha Center's abstinence-only till marriage STD/HIV curriculum disavows any moral appropriateness to sexual activity outside of marriage. Andrea Barber said in the March 3, 2003 Coloradoan article, "We never try to say that sex is bad or evil. We just elevate sex within the boundaries of marriage as being at its best."

The Coloradoan article noted that, "While curriculums focus on avoiding sex as a sure-

fire way to avoid pregnancy or diseases, few Americans make the choice to abstain. More that 90 percent of American adults surveyed reported their first sexual experience occurred outside of marriage, and 74 million adults are unmarried but sexually involved with a partner." The reporter cited, for that information, the 2000 Census.

Moreover, a May 20, 2003 article in The New York Times titled, "1 in 5 Teenagers Has Sex Before 15, Study Finds" says that according to a report released on May 19, 2003 by the National Campaign To Prevent Teen Pregnancy, an analysis of seven studies conducted in the late 1990's revealed that, "About 20 percent of adolescents have had sexual intercourse before their 15th birthday - and one in seven of the sexually experienced 14-year-old girls has been pregnant. The study found that only about a third of parents of sexually experienced 14-year olds knew that their children were having sex - and while most parents said they had spoken to their young adolescent children about sex, far fewer teenagers reported having had such conversations with their parents."

According to a Kaiser Family Foundation study released on May 19, 2003 and highlighted in the Daily Reproductive Health Report dated May 20, 2003, "Most teenagers say that although abstinence is 'a nice idea, nobody really does it." The National Survey of Adolescents and Young Adults: Sexual Health Knowledge, Attitudes and Experiences, is a nationally representative survey of more than 1,800 young people ages 13 to 24. The survey said "more than 75% of adolescents and young adults 'expressed a need' for more information about sexual health topics, including information about how to recognize STDS and HIV infection, what testing for HIV and other STDS entails and where they can be tested."

Julie Davis of the Kaiser Family Foundation said the study shows that young people have "a lack of knowledge about core sexual issues and how sexual health issues impact their generation." She added that the report shows many young people subscribe to a lot of "myths and mis-information." And Tamara

Kreinin of the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SEICUS) said that the study, "tells us that young people are craving medically accurate information and the skills to negotiate relationships."

The Alpha Center's abstinence-only till marriage curriculum also disavows any moral appropriateness to the discussion of contraceptives and condoms with teenagers, except in terms of their alleged failure rates, and promotes questionable and untrue information about HIV, STDs, contraceptives, and condoms. In the Coloradoan article, Alpha Centers' Andrea Barber said, "We don't present birth control as an option. But we don't ignore the fact that they exist. We do tell students that they are not 100 percent effective." That statement is on its face deliberately misleading with no basis in fact. It insinuates birth control products themselves are highly unreliable when the evidence is clear to the contrary and it ignores the fact that it is user failure rate, a correctable variable that is problematic.

"In essence district school board members and district administrative officials by their lack of attention and oversight to the district's sex education curriculum over a period of several years now, has in effect sanctioned site-based hodge-podge implementation practices that squarely puts Poudre School District out of compliance."

While some Poudre school district educators supplement the Alpha Center's curriculum presentation with a speaker or speakers from other organizations that talk about contraceptives and condoms or while they may choose instead to render that information to students themselves, others, particularly any educator who may be an avid supporter of the abstinence-only till marriage approach, may not render further information on contraceptives and condoms or may pay mere lip service to such. With such hodge-podge site-based implementation of the district's comprehensive health education policy and little or no oversight by school board members or school or district officials of what is or is not going on in the classroom, it is our children who are shortchanged and whose health may be placed at risk.

If the high school policy statement, standards, and objectives like that of Rocky Mountain High School listed above, are indicative of the goals of the Poudre School District comprehensive health education program, those goals cannot be realized through an abstinence-only till marriage STD/HIV curriculum because those programs, like the Alpha Center's, do not provide scientifically accurate information nor do they speak to methods of pregnancy and disease prevention beyond abstinence except to give erroneous information regarding condom

failure rates. Presenting abstinence until marriage as the only option for teens is found nowhere in the definition of the word comprehensive and in the spirit of the district's policy and Article 25 of the Colorado State Statues, it fails the smell test here.

A comprehensive health education policy is not just incompatible, it is in fact diametrically opposed to an abstinence-only till marriage curriculum. Moreover, such incompatibility must be confusing to students and can only undermine, not reinforce, an abstinence message. It also undermines the message to teenagers that using pregnancy and disease prevention should they ever become sexually active, is critical to their well-being and is expected of them as a responsible response to a decision to become sexually active.

In essence district school board members and district administrative officials by their lack of attention and oversight to the district's sex education curriculum over a period of several years now, has in effect sanctioned site-based hodge-podge implementation practices that squarely puts Poudre School District out of compliance with its own stated comprehensive health education policy and out of compliance with the legislative declarative in Article 25 of the Colorado state statues and which confuses and endangers our children.

7. I also recommend that, at the very least, specific course information and parental permission forms for sex education courses be made uniform throughout Poudre School District. Such a uniform policy setting forth course descriptions, how to handle parent and public viewing of all class materials, as well as uniformity in parental permission forms, would prevent, whether intended or not, the current lack of proper and accurate information being sent home to some parents about the sex education curriculum their children are being taught.

I recommend a parental permission form that every parent in the district would have to sign that describes in depth the class material to be used, a time when all materials to be used is available for public inspection at the school and at the bottom, in clear terms to be checked off, should be language to the effect:

[ ] Yes I have read the above information regarding the sex education material to be presented in my child's sex education class and I understand that I have an opportunity to

inspect all materials to be used in the class at the above listed times and place.

1. [ ] YES, I give my permission for
_____________________________________ to participate in the Abstinence Class featuring the "Sex Can Wait" curriculum.

or [ ] NO, I do NOT give my permission for
_____________________________________ to participate in the Abstinence Class featuring the "Sex Can Wait" curriculum.

2. [ ] YES, I give my permission for
_____________________________________ to participate in the STD/HIV/Contraceptive Class featuring "Reducing the Risk" curriculum.

or [ ] NO, I do not give my permission for
____________________________________ to participate in the STD/HIV/Contraceptive Class featuring "Reducing the Risk" curriculum.

Parents Signature _____________________ Date ________________________________

"I recommend a process be developed that would be applied uniformly throughout all Poudre District Schools in which parents and others in the community can be notified that sex education and HIV/AIDS instructional materials are available for inspection as per Article 25 of the Colorado Revised Statutes."

While hopefully this would not be the only notification to parents of the impending sex education class and times for inspection of materials, this method of seeking parental permission and denial of permission, would give parents a final opportunity to be informed of the availability of inspection times of all sex education materials to be used as well as offering parents both an option of opting-in or op-outing out their child.

I also think that an opt-in and opt-out opportunity for parents presented together like this makes it a much less confusing method for parents and more beneficial to all parents.

It will also reduce the likelihood that they opted their child in when they meant to opt their child out or vice-versa.

I also believe that it is more beneficial to both district educators and administrators because they will then have a form presented to back to the school from every parent clearly defining that parent's wishes.

Personally, I also think it may encourage some parents who may not otherwise take a second glance at the information on the form to do so. We can only hope.

8. I recommend a process be developed that would be applied uniformly throughout all Poudre District Schools in which parents and others in the community can be notified that sex education and HIV/AIDS instructional materials are available for inspection as per Article 25 of the Colorado Revised Statues.

At no time during back-to-school night at Blevins Junior High or Rocky Mountain High School for my oldest daughter, was my husband told of an opportunity to view all the materials that would be used by either the district educator or the Alpha Center, or any other outside presenter. Moreover, the parental opt-in form, while listing the core curriculum, philosophy statement, unit standards and objectives, never offered an opportunity to view course materials to be used, including again that which would be presented by the Alpha Center.

Additionally, the parental opt-in form that was utilized in the 2002-2003 school year at Poudre High School, offered no opportunity for parents to preview the materials to be used, again, including that of the Alpha Center, while the opt-OUT form used at Rocky Mountain High School and in one classroom that I am aware of at Lesher Junior High, apparently composed by the Alpha Center, offered parents the opportunity to view the Alpha Center's materials at the Alpha Center. That the viewing of materials to be used by a district educator, even by way of an outside organization they bring into the classroom, is to only be made available by contacting that outside organization, I believe is both inappropriate and does not comply with Article 25 of the Colorado Revised Statues, that states that Colorado school districts that have a comprehensive health curriculum shall make instructional materials available for inspection by the public during school hours. In addition, it states, "A public forum shall be scheduled to receive public comments."

Moreover, Article 25 states that parents/guardians shall have an opportunity to review the HIV/AIDS education program before it is presented to students. The STD/HIV slide presentation the Alpha Center

presented in my daughter's health class at Blevins Junior High School was never made available to us as parents prior to its presentation in the classroom. The Alpha Center's STD/HIV slide presentation was also not made available for parents to view at Lesher Junior High, in accordance with Article 25 of the Colorado Revised Statues and prior to its presentation to students in the last school year.

Clearly a hodge-podge of site-based implementation practices is responsible for placing the district out of compliance with stated policy and law. Such diverse implementation practices is responsible for allowing critical sex education and HIV/STD materials to be used in the classroom by an outside organization whose religious and political agenda drives a bias against accurate scientifically based information. A hodge-podge of site-based implementation practices has also prevented consistent and proper accountability to parents and the community in general. That lack of accountability to parents and the community also places Poudre School District out of compliance with Article 25 of the Colorado Revised Statutes.

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