
Resources
Information for ODE health survey.
ODE health standards webpage:
https://www.oregon.gov/ode/educator-resources/standards/health/Pages/default.aspx
Survey link:
https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/dafd1b7bfeb44ca5b6a11abb741ae170
Oregon’s public school health curriculum has been safe and age appropriate for decades. In a surprise move, Oregon Department of Education (ODE) wants to change the health curriculum. The changes drafted by ODE can be so harmful to the mental and physical health of young children, we are alarmed.
The first principle of any curriculum should be to do no harm.
Unfortunately, the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) appears to have lost sight of the principle of subsidiarity. Subsidiarity is a vital principle of social organization that asserts the importance of addressing social and political issues at the most immediate or local level consistent with their resolution. This ensures decisions are made with a keen understanding of the unique needs of individual communities, and respects the autonomy and expertise of those closest to the issues at hand. By adhering to this principle, a more balanced and thoughtful approach to policymaking can be achieved—one that genuinely considers the well-being and perspectives of all while avoiding the risks associated with one-size-fits-all approaches.
This principle also applies to schools and parents, with parents being closest to the issues at hand when it comes to sexuality.
Introducing intricate ideas to a child with an incompletely developed brain can pose significant risks, considering that human children’s brains are not fully formed until around the age of 25. During their early formative years, the neural connections necessary for advanced reasoning and abstract thinking are still being established. Presenting concepts beyond their cognitive grasp could lead to distortions of their perception of reality, such as gender confusion, potentially weaving a web of confusion and anxiety that lingers into adulthood.
Nowhere in the proposed new health standard is there any concept of marriage. It is shocking Oregon would ignore this basic unit of society for the entire K-12 health curriculum. Especially given the enormous proven and documented health benefits for children in intact families.
In the survey you will have a space to suggest improvements in these three areas:
- K-5 Standards- Suggestions for Improvement
- Middle School Standards- Suggestions for Improvement
- High School Standards- Suggestions for Improvement
We are listing several areas where ODE needs to pull back and let the local community decide what they will be teaching. This list is not all inclusive. If you have time, we recommend you read at least the elementary section of the proposed standard. Below we have focused on the elementary school level, recognizing that different communities have different views as children become adolescents.
For kindergarten standard:
K.HRVP.3 Recognize that there are many ways to express gender.
1.HRVP.4 Analyze the differences and similarities in how people with different gender identities are expected to act.
For 3rd grade standards:
3.HRVP.3 Discuss the importance of using affirming language around protected classes of people including people of all genders, race and ethnicities, sexual orientations, and abilities.
For 5th grade standards:
5.GD.5 Identify the differences and similarities between gender identity, gender expression, gender roles, and sex assigned at birth.
5.GD.6 Identify trusted adults one could talk to about sexual orientation questions.
5.HRVP.4 Recognize some of the ways in which norms and laws around gender and sexual orientation have changed over time.
5.SRH.2 Identify the range of ways pregnancy can occur, including sexual intercourse, insemination, in vitro fertilization, donor conception, and surrogacy.
For 6th grade standards:
6.GD.6 Define sexual and romantic orientations including heterosexual, bisexual, lesbian, gay, queer, asexual, and pansexual.
6.SRH.2 Define vaginal, oral, and anal sex.
6.SRH.5 Identify the benefits, risks, and effectiveness of various methods of contraception, including abstinence, the correct usage of barrier methods, and emergency contraception.
For 7th grade standards:
7.SRH.2 Identify safer sex strategies for vaginal, oral, and anal sex.