FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 24, 2023
Contact: West Juhl, ACLU of Nevada: [email protected] and Amber Falgout, Battle Born Progress, [email protected], 775-657-0433
The Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada, Planned Parenthood Mar Monte, Battle Born Progress, and the ACLU organize for public support of the proposed SHARE policy
RENO, NV– Tuesday, July 25th at 2:00 PM the Washoe County School Board of Trustees is set to review a newly proposed SHARE curriculum updating Sex Education for 4th and 5th graders. Several community organizations are organizing in support of the new curriculum that mandates medically accurate, gender-inclusive teaching.
The early years of a child’s education are a crucial period for laying the foundation of lifelong learning and healthy development. By providing comprehensive, age-appropriate sexual health education, we can provide our students with the tools they need to develop healthy attitudes and make responsible choices. Community organizations released the following statements:
“Gender-inclusive policy is a decades-long precedent in Nevada. From the legislature to the Clark County School Board, policies regarding gender-inclusive language and medically accurate information in schools have been fought and won many times,” said Cassie Charles, Campaigns Director with PLAN Action. “Now is the time for the Washoe County School Board to choose to stand up for gender-diverse students and vote to pass the updated SHARE curriculum.”
“Planned Parenthood Mar Monte is supportive of developmentally appropriate, medically accurate, gender-inclusive sexual education and wellness, equipping students to make safe and informed decisions about their bodies and relationships,” said Hailey Lindsley, Grassroots Organizer with Planned Parenthood Mar Monte. “The early years of a child’s education are a crucial period for laying the foundation of lifelong learning and healthy development and ultimately contributes to a stronger, more informed citizenry.”
“Sex education is vital to children’s development, and our public policies should not be based on vitriol and disinformation,” said Athar Haseebullah, executive director for the ACLU of Nevada. “Make no mistake, anti-LGBTQ+ hate groups and extremists want nothing less than a Florida-style ‘Don’t Say Gay’ policy, and we cannot and will not allow that to occur.”
“Inclusive sex education for children that is developmentally appropriate should be included in our children’s education,” said Shelbie Swartz, Interim Executive Director of Battle Born Progress. “Gender-inclusive language and medically accurate information should be a staple of any sexual health education program regardless of the rhetoric that attempts to characterize it as harmful. Fear is not a good reason to provide inaccurate information in an educational setting to our children. We have and always will support inclusive language and education practices. It is disgusting to see the negative attacks in response to the newly updated SHARE curriculum for 4th and 5th-grade students. After reviewing the curriculum, it is clear that it is developmentally appropriate, inclusive, and factual. We cannot allow hateful rhetoric to influence our decisions on what is best for our children especially when it centers around their education.”
SPOKESPEOPLE ARE AVAILABLE FOR COMMENT IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH
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