TC PALM, Florida's Treasure Coast and Palm Beaches

By Keona Gardner

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

FORT PIERCE — Now that the St. Lucie County School Board has approved a new sex-education curriculum, critics are predicting an increase in the county's HIV/AIDS infection rates.

"Teens will become more sexually active," said opponent Jim Thoma. "You can't tell teens not to have sex 'but if you do, then here's how.' We don't tell kids, 'Don't drink but if you do here's how.'"

In a 4-1 vote Tuesday night, the board approved the curriculum adapted from the "Get Real About AIDS" curriculum from Discovery Health.

Community leaders have said that a comprehensive sex education plan is needed to lower the high infection rate of HIV/AIDS among blacks in the county. The approved plan uses select lessons from "Get Real About AIDS" to be taught to students in grades 4 through 12. Students in kindergarten through third grade will learn in general about germs, how they are spread and proper hygiene.

Board member Troy Ingersoll, a Baptist youth minister, voted against the new curriculum because it didn't fully engage students in learning about the disease.

"I just don't think this is the best, and our kids deserve the best," he said.

But the new curriculum is the first of many steps the district is taking to teach students how to protect themselves against disease, said board member Kathryn Hensley.

"I'm not looking at this as a final product for forever and ever," said Hensley, whose house protesters picketed during the Thanksgiving holiday.

Now that the curriculum has been approved, the next step is for district officials to create a video showing condom usage, Superintendent Michael Lannon said. District officials are in talks with three physicians — an Hispanic male, a black female and a white male — who will discuss condoms' failure rate, Lannon said.

District staff will write the script and present it to the School Board at a future meeting for approval.

On Tuesday night, the board changed its meeting format by agreeing to hear from speakers before the vote instead of after and gave the eight speakers — two who supported the curriculum and six who didn't — a minute each to state their position.

Curriculum supporter Bradley Gould urged the board to approve the new curriculum and not be swayed by those pushing an abstinence only plan.

"If people want to teach their children at home about abstinence then that's their choice," he said.

But Willow Sanders, abstinence director of Care Net, a pregnancy center, said the curriculum doesn't get to the root of the problem of why teens are having sex — that the students are looking for love.

They are "displaying outward action of an internal problem," she said.

Opponent Bryan Longworth, a Port St. Lucie pastor, reminded board members that their support of the plan won't be forgotten during election.

"Sure you don't have to listen to us but we don't have to vote for you either," he said.

But board chairwoman Carol Hilson said she doesn't decide how to vote based on threats."

I have to think that as we sit here talking about it, children are dying," she said.

Vice chairwoman Judi Miller added, "I have to ask myself what will the numbers be in the future if we don't pass this plan?"

Yes: Carol Hilson, Judi Miller, John Carvelli and Kathryn Hensley

No: Troy Ingersoll