The Greenwood Public School District is weighing its two options for how to teach sex education.
The school board has until June 30 to select an abstinence-only curriculum or abstinence-plus. The latter includes information about birth control and sexually transmitted diseases.
During its meeting Tuesday, the board received notification about the sex education requirement on its information agenda but didn’t take any action.
The matter is to be discussed at the board’s March meeting and voted on in April.
Board President George Ellis said he was reviewing the information to begin forming his opinion about which kind the district needs.
Mississippi has the highest rate of teen pregnancy in the nation, according to the most recent data available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A state law passed last year requires all school districts to teach one of two types of sex education. The law requires that boys and girls be taught separately, and parents must give permission for their children to take the class.
The law forbids teaching that abortion can be used to prevent the birth of a baby under either plan.
The Mississippi Department of Human Services and the Mississippi Department of Health are developing the curriculum.
The mandatory sex education will be taught beginning at the start of 2012-2013 school year.
School districts currently have an option to teach the abstinence-only curriculum, but more than that requires school board approval.
Also Tuesday,
• The board met for nearly an hour in a closed session about a personnel matter. When the board came back out to the public, Ellis announced it was not taking any action on the matter.
A few moments later it voted 3-1 to accept several personnel recommendations made by Superintendent Margie Pulley. Pulley said they involved resignations, retirements, transfers, changes in hourly rates, personnel for College Goal Sunday and substitute cafeteria workers. School board members had a list of the specific names and positions, but they weren’t mentioned out loud.
Ellis, Lora Evans and Kathy Whicker voted yea, and Bill Clay voted nay.
• Contact Charlie Smith at 581-7235 or csmith@gwcommonwealth.com.
