Had to say..to make a correction

I haven't been online all day, and I see Starlight's post is locked, but I have to say, programs like DARE are not required. And sex ed. needs parental consent, too. Also, don't forget public schools can and DO carry books about all sorts of subjects that students can check out and read. It's all out in the library, and not "required".

 ( I think we can all learn from each other in some way, and that's not to say a behavior/opinion has to change. Everyone is entitled to their own. Staying open minded does not translate to mean, "Well, you're conservative, so you're CLOSE minded" or vice versa. I wish the name calling and anger in general would end.)

(20 USC 1232h, 34 CFR 98), provide that (where federal money is involved, and much is given to D.A.R.E.), "no student shall be required...to submit without prior consent to psychiatric...treatment." "Psychiatric treatment" is defined as:

D.A.R.E. falls squarely within that definition, in that it is expressly aimed at "affecting" behaviors (resisting drug abuse), emotions (managing stress, building self esteem), and attitudes (abhoring drugs).

At DD's school, DARE is required, and my state's educational guidelines do require some sort of character and/or anti-drug education at every grade level. DARE doesn't fall under the category of psychiatric treatment the way it's presented at our school. I'm sure it CAN be, but it's just another class at our school. The kids like it for the most part, and like all things in this category, as a parent, I've used it as a springboard for a conversation with my kid rather than the "gospel truth".

Even if I disagree with the curriculum that is being taught, I generally "opt-in" for sex ed and other stuff like that which is optional at her school, because I just learn the curriculum and then tell her where my disagreements may lie, and why, and let her make her own decisions (fingers crossed!). The one exception I made was this sex-ed thing they did, where you had to watch a sexually suggestive show and report on it! Um NO! I get that the point was for students to begin to recognize sexual messages in television and how they affect audiences/consumers, but we purposely do not allow TV like that in our house for a reason, and while I don't have a problem with her learning about ANY concept academically (i.e. in a classroom, in a manner that is professionally presented), I do have a problem with bringing it into my home on my television set.

LuvMySonshines:

(20 USC 1232h, 34 CFR 98), provide that (where federal money is involved, and much is given to D.A.R.E.), "no student shall be required...to submit without prior consent to psychiatric...treatment."

The Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA) that you're citing is about what information can be asked on surveys given to students and non-emergency medical examinations.  It is about extracting information from students, not providing information to students.  It has nothing to do with curriculum or whatever it is you're talking about.  And yes, anti-drug, anti-violence, etc courses are required in most, if not all, public schools.

LuvMySonshines:

 ( I think we can all learn from each other in some way, and that's not to say a behavior/opinion has to change. Everyone is entitled to their own. Staying open minded does not translate to mean, "Well, you're conservative, so you're CLOSE minded" or vice versa. I wish the name calling and anger in general would end.)

Well-said

It would also be nice to not be insulted for being an American.

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cflorkie:

Classic_Movie_Queen:

Well-said

It would also be nice to not be insulted for being an American.

Sorry about that.  What I meant to imply was how sterotypically American she was acting, in believing that American's opinions were the only ones that mattered.  I know that not all Americans are like that obviously, and I'm sorry it came out wrong, and offended you and any others.  By the time I thought about how it was worded, and went back to change it, the post was already locked.

I'm sorry but you really need to watch what you say.  That is so wrong to assume that Americans are like that.  She put that on there because you couldn't be polite.  She said that because it was happening in an AMERICAN school.  It seems to me the only close-minded one on here is you.

I haven't followed this and the related thread in any great detail, but here is what strikes me as a newcomer to it:

1. I love hearing what non-Americans have to say about American issues.  Because non-Americans tend to pay way more attention to what is going on in the U.S. than we do to what is going on outside our borders. I have seen on this board that many non-Americans know more about our politics than us Americans do!  So, to me, non-Americans are always allowed to give input on an issue and I have learned a lot from you guys.

2.  While I don't like to admit the fact that my children will be thinking about drugs and sex in just a few short years, the reality is that they will.  So do I hide my head in the sand and try to shield them from the facts and realities of the world? I'd love to, but I am quite certain that would backfire.  As an example, my best friend in high school was Mormon and was never allowed out, to learn about alcohol, sex, or drugs, etc.  She ended up being the one who went crazy and got pregnant at 16, partied like it was going out of style, etc.  What I learned from that is that there is a real risk that shielding my kids from the facts of life is a very risky choice. I personally would rather they learn it from me (or from curriculum I have approved) than from their friends and from the movies.  As much as it will kill me to do so, I will provide contraception to my kids if they become sexually active - because it's better to teach them the right things to do with risky behavior than to live with the ramifications of pretending like it's not going on. So when it comes to teaching the birds and the bees, hetero and homosexuality issues, etc. to my kids - I will review the proposed curriculum and opt out if I don't feel that it's appropriate. But for the most part, I have seen that the public schools use a fact-based curriculum that merely provides the realities of the world. I am realizing through Facebook that several of my high school friends are now gay - I would have loved for us to have some sort of curriculum indicating that homosexuality does, in fact, exist in the world so that they didn't have to go through the confusion and loneliness that surely many of them did.  Do the schools have to give an opinion as to the BASIS of homosexuality (genetic or lifestyle choice)? No, absolutely not. They can stick to the facts and do some good in the meantime.  Knowledge is power, and for me that includes knowledge of how the real world works - so long as the education is fact-based and neutral, I will likely support it.

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Firing up another "definition debate" proves NOTHING. Do we really have to go there again??

pot-stirrers--this was already cooked in the other thread.