NORFOLK, Va. — Topics like gender and sexual identity and terms such as "homosexuality," "lesbianism" and "masturbation" will soon be part of the sex-education curriculum in Norfolk Public Schools.
The school board voted 6 to 1 to approve the curriculum at its meeting Wednesday night. Board member Rodney Jordan was the only one to vote no.
It's known as Get Real: Comprehensive Sex Education that Works.
According to a May 3 presentation to the board, other concepts include sexual risks and low-risk intimacy at the high school level.
Both middle and high school curriculums include a condom demonstration, according to the presentation.
The new topics will be in addition to items that are already taught such as communication and refusal skills, anatomy and reproduction, abstinence, decision-making, health and unhealthy relationships and more.
School officials sought public input about the proposed curriculum, using community forums and online and paper surveys. The board received a mixed bag of reactions, with some supporting all of the topics listed on the survey, while others opposed several of the items like human sexuality, abstinence, and gender identity.
"It is hypocritical to call this curriculum inclusive because it makes space for LGBTQ values, but not for more conservative values," a member of the School Health Advisory Committee wrote in a survey response.
"Very happy lgbtq in curriculum," a high school parent wrote.
The presentation noted there were other concerns from the community, with some saying 6th-grade students are too young for the content and the process is being rushed.
Parents have the right to review the material, and families would be able to opt out of all or specific lessons of the program. The school system would send parents and guardians the proper communication to keep them informed and give them the option to opt-out.
At Wednesday night's school board meeting, a dozen and a half residents, including Norfolk parents and students, had mixed reactions to the program.
The vast majority of speakers were critical of the curriculum for Norfolk middle and high school students, and believe the focus should be on other areas in schools.
"Get on the academics! Get off the sex," one resident said before school board members.
Meanwhile, others, including one NPS mother, praised the program.
"It is comprehensive, it is medically accurate, it’s trauma-informed, and it’s inclusive," she said.
The new curriculum would start in the 2023-2024 school year.
