Revisions To Rhode Island Abstinence Curriculum Approved For Use In High Schools, State Education Commissioner Says

Revised lesson plans from a federally funded abstinence-only-until-marriage sex education curriculum developed by Heritage of Rhode Island meet state standards and can be taught in high schools, Rhode Island Education Commissioner Peter McWalters wrote in a memo to school superintendents last month, the Providence Journal reports (Castellucci, Providence Journal, 12/4). The Rhode Island Affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union on Sept. 21, 2005, sent a letter to McWalters saying the curriculum developed by Heritage of Rhode Island would violate relevant state law. McWalters in March sent an advisory to all superintendents in the state saying Heritage's program is not "consistent with Rhode Island Health Education Standards" and should not be taught in state schools. Heritage -- which has presented its program to more than 600 public schools in the state -- has a three-year grant from HHS that provides $400,200 annually, according to an HHS spokesperson (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 3/24). Heritage said the program is intended to supplement, not replace, current HIV/AIDS instruction in the public school system, and Heritage instructors will provide abstinence-only sex education only in the presence of regular classroom teachers who are responsible for teaching the general curriculum required. Heritage Executive Director Chris Plante on Sunday said he was pleased with the way the state's review process worked and is speaking to local officials about incorporating the program in high schools in Warwick, R.I., and Woonsocket, R.I., adding that very little was changed with the program. ACLU Rhode Island Executive Director Steven Brown said the revised program still emphasizes marriage as the only safe setting for sex, which tends to marginalize gay and lesbian students and students with gay or lesbian parents. The program also understates the effectiveness of condoms as a means of protection against sexually transmitted infections and a form of contraception, Brown said. ACLU, in response to the approval, is drafting a letter to McWalters expressing concern about the program, Brown said (Providence Journal, 12/4).

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