Pity the kids in Texas and elsewhere, too
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BY SUSIE WILSON
NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
SEX MATTERS
I have a particular interest in the recent actions of the Texas State Board of Education because of my five years of service on New Jersey's State Board of Education. Last week, the Texas board voted to revise the state's K-12 social studies curriculum based on right wing, conservative ideology and not sound facts.
The board's actions were antithetical to the educational welfare of students; they put their own ideological views about issues ahead of young people's right to receive unbiased information in the classroom.
State education board members across the nation are entrusted with setting policies for public school students. It is a challenge and responsibility to get it right for the kids. I personally found it challenging to keep kids' needs in the forefront when making decisions. Many adult groups constantly put pressure on board members to keep their needs at the forefront, ahead of the needs of students.
My service on the board introduced me to the topic of sexuality education, or family life education, as we referred to it then. In 1982, we passed a policy that required local districts to develop their own family life education programs, but did not provide a single curriculum for the entire state. Before passing the policy, we consulted with experts and studied polls showing that the majority of New Jersey residents favored it.My colleagues and I believed that we were helping young people lead safer, healthier, and more