Dear Parishioner,
At Bishop McManus’s request I am forwarding to you this update on the Sex Education proposal being considered for the Worcester Public Schools where many Catholics attend:
Last week, a subcommittee of the Worcester School Committee voted to recommend to the full School Committee the “Rights, Respect & Responsibility” program as a comprehensive K-12 “health” curriculum; to implement it “with fidelity;” and to utilize the sexual education curriculum for middle school and high school levels. The publisher of that program calls it “A K-12 Sex Education Curriculum” not a health curriculum.
Discussion at both subcommittee meetings indicates that implementing the curriculum “with fidelity” probably means without teacher flexibility on the appropriateness of content. We have sought clarification of how a publisher described K-12 Sex Ed Curriculum that does not address nutrition, smoking, drinking, drugs and exercise could be called a “comprehensive health curriculum” and what sections, if any, of that program’s elementary school sex topics (outlined to you earlier) would be eliminated. There is some indication that Rights, Respect, Responsibility will not be taught in K-6. We hope that will be the case. The middle school materials, however, are objectionable in their own right. The Worcester Public School Administration’s recommendation that sex ed be a 9th-grade elective is preferable to the expanded and unclear role recommended by the subcommittee.
It is unclear if public comment will be allowed by Zoom at the actual meeting. If you wish to speak at the School Committee meeting on Thursday you must call or email the School Committee Clerk’s Office ahead of time at 508-799-3032 or Friel@worcesterschools.net.
The full School Committee will meet on, Thursday, May 6 at 6 pm. The link to the agenda and Zoom information is:
Telephone: US: +1 929 205 6099 or +1 301 715 8592
Webinar ID: 879 0295 6507
The names and contact information for the school committee members are listed below. If you have concerns about this program, please consider contacting the School Committee members before Thursday’s meeting.
School Committee Members:
Mayor Joseph M. Petty
2 Grove Heights Drive
Worcester, MA 01605
508-799-1153
mayor@worcesterma.gov
Dianna L. Biancheria
8 Ventura Road
Worcester, MA 01604
508-753-3440
BiancheriaD@worcesterschools.net
Laura Clancey
2 Westport Circle
Worcester, MA 01605774-823-6446
John L. Foley
6 Winter Hill Drive
Worcester, MA 01605
508-335-2307
JFoley@worcesterschools.net
John F. Monfredo
8 Cherokee Road
Tracy O’Connell Novick
135 Olean Street
Worcester, MA 01602
Sent by Dan Shaughnessy on Thursday, May 6, 2021 at 6:00AM
