The students already know that in our science classes we are setting aside time for a few days starting next Tuesday to discuss health and sex education. We have traditionally begun the unit on Valentine’s Day for several years now, so students know when to expect it. This is done at all three grade levels, though the level of discussion and the range of topics differ a bit from 6^th to 8^th grade. In this unit we look at structure and function as well as changes that occur during puberty. Diseases are explained as well as good hygiene, and why it is important to get a good night’s sleep every night. We discuss what it means to be a parent and the miracle of child birth. The unit ends up with a short unit on heredity and Punnett squares to predict genotype and phenotype.

Kids are asked to deal with this material in a mature manner as this is very important (and to some people embarrassing) information. There is a question and answer session where students may write down questions on a piece of paper (without names) that are then read out loud by the teacher and answered openly and honestly. If the teacher deems a question to be inappropriate, it will not be shared with the class.

In the past, there were some things that we did not discuss during this unit. For either religious or cultural reasons, there may be different ideas within our Quest community of what is appropriate to teach the children. For this reason, we felt these topics were best discussed in the home. This included topics like birth control and sexual orientation. We encourage you to ask your child about what they are learning in this unit and to give your child a chance to ask any other questions they may have on the topic.

**Note for 8^th grade parents: New legislation regarding sex education in the state of Illinois was passed into law as of January 1, 2014. While it does not force schools to teach sex education (93% of Illinois public schools do), it does require that if sex ed is taught, the curriculum go beyond the concept of abstinence and also discuss birth control. Why the change? There has been a spike in the last few years in teenage pregnancies and venereal diseases. It was determined that the “Just say no” education was insufficient for our children.

What does this mean for our 8^th graders? The message “wait for marriage” has always been a hallmark of our program, but for 8^th graders we choose to adjust our curriculum to be in alignment with the new legislation. The unit takes at least two days, so these changes would not be addressed until the second day of the unit.

Parents: It has never been our desire to step on the toes of our parent body. Some parents may feel strongly that they do not want their 8^th grade child exposed to this information at this time. We understand and respect that wish. Therefore, we offer three options (option 2 only affects 8^th graders):

1. Do nothing and your child will take full part in the unit and discussion afterwards.

2. Write a note to Mr. S for option 2: permission for your child to be taught the same curriculum we have employed in the past, but not the new section on birth control. Please sign the note. Alternate learning opportunities unrelated to sex education will be provided next Tuesday for your child.

3. Write a note to Mr. S for option 3: ask that your child be exempt from the unit altogether and instead cover this information as a family within the home. Alternate studies will be provided for your child both Friday and Tuesday (no school Monday).

 

E-mail is another option: You may contact Mr. S before 8:00 am on Tuesday at the following address:

Nate.stoffregen@questacademy.org. Thank you for your consideration!

 

Sincerely, Mr. S