The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is refusing to accept a compromise by Clovis Unified School District on sex education, ABC News reports.
The school district, near Fresno, California, changed its curriculum to include condoms and contraceptives in response to a lawsuit by parents, but the ACLU says the changes are “not good enough” and has updated the suit.
Parents, backed by the ACLU, first sued the district for providing abstinence-only sex education, with no mention of condoms, contraception or gay sex. The curriculum’s textbook told students that to avoid STIs they should be sure to “go out in groups” and “get enough rest.”
In June, school board officials voted to include condoms and contraceptives in the curriculum but did not change the textbook. The ACLU says the new curriculum still does not accord with state law.
“We are asking the court to really consider that the district is still putting students’ health at risk, and this is really important because the school year is starting and there will be another class of students who do not receive the health information that they need,” says ACLU representative Novella Coleman.
In a written statement Aug 8, school district spokesperson Kelly Avants wrote, “It is almost as if the ACLU attorneys are choosing to misrepresent and misinterpret the content of our curriculum and how instruction is structured, all to serve their special interests. Today’s action is just another step to unnecessarily prolong litigation based upon their special interests and financial motives.”
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