Park Ridge, IL

Parents of a few Maine South High School Students are condemning the teaching of birth control in a freshman biology class, but school administrators are standing behind the lesson.¹

The parents allege that birth control is being taught “at the expense of more important educational topics” and said they were concerned with the description of a lesson teaching correct condom use.²  The objections started after a parent, who was affiliated with the Illinois Family Institute, a conservative organization that works to “promote and defend biblical truths,” read through her child’s biology syllabus and became upset.

Over 100 people on both sides of the issue attended the school board meeting following the objection.  A number of parents defended the birth control lesson arguing that topics could not be excised from the curricula simply because they made a small minority of people uncomfortable.³  The father of a sophomore said, “It’s a fact of life that these kids have sex. The more they know about contraception, the better.”⁴

The board agreed to review the material and reminded parents that they had the option of removing their children from classes dealing with sexuality. In the meantime, the board is keeping the topic, called “Meiosis/Reproduction,” in the class curriculum. 

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