Miami-Dade schools to talk more about ‘potential impact’ of sex-ed textbook decision
The Miami-Dade County School Board is meeting on Thursday to “assess the potential impact” of its decision to reject the adoption of a comprehensive health and sex-education textbook for middle and high school students.
The 5-4 vote effectively removed sexual education curriculum for middle and high school students for at least four to eight months and left the school district out of compliance with curriculum requirements and standards set by the Florida Department of Education.
Now, one week later, the board has to figure out how to deal with that problem.
“The issue at hand, as reflected in the item, is compliance with the Florida Department of Education,” Chairwoman Perla Tabares Hantman said in a statement. The requirements are different for each grade level and everything must be “grade-appropriate.”
Still, she added, “above everything, we must respect parental rights. Parents play an essential role in the education of their children. Parental rights are the bedrock of our school district. Rest assured that this School Board is committed to respecting the rights of parents to make decisions regarding the education of their children.”
The special meeting — scheduled for Thursday at noon — is expected to draw many more parents and community members than last week, said Gina Vinueza, a district parent and one of the organizers behind a petition, Save Sex-Ed in Miami-Dade.
READ MORE: Sex-ed textbook rejected by Miami school board after parents invoke ‘Don’t say gay’ bill
Last week, more than 40 parents, community members and organization representatives flocked to the meeting to speak on the curriculum adoption. Of those who spoke, 38 urged the board to adopt the recommendation given by the hearing officer, according to Vice Chair Steve Gallon III’s count; just four spoke against doing so.
Ahead of last week’s vote, there was “some awareness of the item, but not a lot of publicity. We knew the recommendation was to pass it, so we assumed that the board having gone through its due process, would approve it,” said Vinueza. “After the decision, that’s when real outrage started, and parents felt the need to do something.”
The petition was published Tuesday morning. By Wednesday evening, more than 1,800 people had signed it.
Despite speaking out in favor of the textbook, many of the professionals who work with students, such as medical professionals, experts and curriculum specialists, won’t be in attendance Thursday, said Takeata King Pang, the executive director of the Women’s Foundation of Florida and the Florida Health Youth Alliance steering committee manager.
That’s because a last-minute, midday meeting isn’t conducive for their schedules, King Pang said, but added the organization is working to arrange meetings with board members to discuss the topic.
How did we get here?
In April, the School Board in a 5-3 vote adopted the book, “Comprehensive Health Skills.”
The book, which comes with a version for middle school and one for high school classes and offers research-based health education with topics such as nutrition, physical activity and sexually transmitted diseases, would have addressed the district’s units of study for Human Reproduction and Disease Education for grades 6 through 12.
Tabares Hantman, Marta Perez and Mari-Tere Rojas voted no at the time. Board member Lubby Navarro was absent. Last week, Navarro and Christi Fraga joined the three others in voting against the measure. Gallon, along with Dorothy Bendross-Mindingall, Lucia Baez-Geller and Luisa Santos voted to adopt the book.
Shortly after the April adoption, however, some parents and community members — led by Alex Serrano, executive director of County Citizens Defending Freedom, a national organization with ties to conservative and politically active Christian groups — objected to the book, claiming the lessons were not age appropriate and violated the state’s parental rights law and lacked transparency.
Serrano has no children in the district. Instead, he sends his children to Centner Academy, the Miami private school that last year said teachers and students who got vaccinated for COVID-19 could not interact with students and would risk losing their job.
A petition, which included 278 signatures, according to district officials, led to a separate review process and a public hearing to review the concerns and the materials in question. Fewer than five parents who petitioned over the materials attended the June 8 meeting.
It’s unclear how many people, if any, who were part of the petition objecting to the books will attend Thursday’s meeting. Serrano could not be immediately reached for comment on Wednesday.
READ MORE: Read for yourself: This report details the objections to Miami-Dade’s sex-ed textbook
What’s the goal?
The board’s decision last week means the district may have to begin the review and adoption process again, which could take months, and it’s unclear when the new adoption process would commence.
There’s no mention on Thursday’s agenda about the board possibly reversing its decision, so a large turnout likely won’t sway the board. Still, the goal for Vinueza is to emphasize to the board that the district is out of compliance, she said.
The group hopes to encourage the board to adopt the textbook that has already been vetted or expedite the adoption process for a different textbook, she said, but the “ultimate goal is to make sure our district remains an A-rated district and that we’re focused on an accurate, fact-based teaching of all subjects.”
This story was originally published July 27, 2022 at 6:39 PM.
