The ACLU is representing a Planned Parenthood "educator" and the Gay-Straight Alliance in a lawsuit against California's Central Valley Clovis high schools for inadequate sex training of children, charging that the school should not teach children that abstinence prevents pregnancy and is the most effective way to stem the epidemic of sexually transmitted disease.
UPDATE 5/15/15: Judge Rules Abstinence Education Illegal in California
For background, read Abstinence Education Effective, Fed Study Shows and also read Abstinent Teens the Norm, Moral Sex-Ed Works: Study as well as Obama Funds Teaching Sex, not Abstinence
Also read how Planned Parenthood Sets up Shop in California School
-- From "Calif. school district sued over sex ed program" by John S. Marshall, Associated Press 8/22/12
"The sex ed in Clovis high schools violates state law and gives inaccurate, biased information to students," said Phyllida Burlingame, Reproductive Justice Policy Director at the ACLU of Northern California.
The lawsuit against the Clovis Unified School District was filed in Fresno County Superior Court by the California District of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Gay-Straight Alliance Network. The ACLU is representing the groups and the two parents.
In a statement, district spokeswoman Kelly Avants said the school district was reviewing the suit.
"It appears from an initial review that the concern raised in this lawsuit stems from a question of differing interpretations of the depth and breadth of a school district's obligation to cover detailed sexual content in its family life-sex education materials," the statement said.
"The District notes that some of the information contained in the suit does not accurately describe existing procedures and practices in Clovis Unified related to parent notification," the statement said.
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From "Sex Talk: ACLU Sues School District For Not Doing Enough Of It" By Ashley Ritchie, KMPH-TV26 (Fresno, CA) 8/21/12
The lawsuit also makes claims of bias against homosexuals, saying the textbook the district uses "lists a number of types of families, but does not include same–sex households on its list."
[Aubree] Smith is one of two Clovis Unified parents named as plaintiffs in the lawsuit.
She's a registered nurse.
The other mom [Mica Ghimenti] works for Planned Parenthood.
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From "Parents criticize Clovis Unified sex education" by Barbara Anderson, The Fresno Bee 5/13/11
. . . parents met at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Fresno in Clovis to discuss their concerns and raise awareness. About 30 attended.
Mica Ghimenti, a Planned Parenthood health educator in Fresno, said Teen Choices [curriculum at Clovis] uses outdated information about the success and failure rates of condoms, among other misinformation. Ghimenti has a daughter at Buchanan High School and two sons at Century Elementary School in Clovis, none of whom have gone through the Teen Choices program.
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From "Clovis Unified district sued over abstinence-only sex education" by Teresa Watanabe, Los Angeles Times 8/22/12
The lawsuit against Clovis Unified, which serves 39,000 students in Fresno County, alleges that the abstinence-only curriculum is risking young people's health by denying them accurate information about how to prevent STDs and unwanted pregnancies.
Kelly Avants, Clovis Unified spokeswoman, said the district fully complies with state education law that promotes abstinence as "the only 100% surefire way to prevent pregnancy" and STDs.
Jim Van Volkinburg, school board president, said he could not comment on the lawsuit because he hadn't seen it. But he added that he thought parents' concerns had been addressed.
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From "School Says Rest Can Deter STDs, Parents Say" by William Dotinga, Courthouse News Service 8/23/12
The real problem, the plaintiffs say, is that the Clovis school district uses "Lifetime Health" as its sex education textbook. Published by Holt, Rinehart and Winston, the textbook "promotes the abstinence-only policy many states - but not California - pursued a decade ago, when federal funding was offered for abstinence-only programs," the complaint states.
For preventing HIV/AIDS, the Holt textbook "does not mention condoms, listing only '1. Practice abstinence,' '2. Avoid multiple partners,' advising that 'when a couple is ready for marriage, both partners should maintain a monogamous relationship,' '3. Don't share needles ... or any items that may put a person in contact with blood,' and '4. Avoid drinking alcohol or taking illegal drugs,'" the groups say, citing the Holt textbook.
"The Holt textbook reflects bias against gay, lesbian and bisexual people. For example, the Holt textbook lists a number of types of families, but does not include same-sex households in its list. The Holt textbook also emphasizes abstinence from sexual activity until marriage, which it defines as 'a lifelong union between a husband and a wife.' None of the discussions of sexual behavior or relationships discuss same-sex couples," the complaint states.
The plaintiffs are represented by Alexis Coll-Very and Simona Strauss, with Simpson Thacher and Bartlett, of Palo Alto, with support from Elizabeth Gill of the ACLU in San Francisco.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Also read Planned Parenthood's Oral Sex Push Bad According to Federal Government Report
