SAN JOSE, California—A woman from Southern California has given hundreds of speeches to raise concern about the sex education curriculum being taught in California schools.
During a Silicon Valley Association of Republican Women’s meeting in San Jose on Sept. 25, people heard why Gina Gleason believes parents should be concerned about their kids schooling and how they can make their concerns heard.
Gleason, executive director of Real Impact, a ministry of Calvary Chapel Chino Hills, said most parents would find the curriculum’s content appalling.
The California Healthy Youth Act, or AB 329, is a comprehensive sexual education curriculum for students from kindergarten through twelfth grade. It also ensures that students in grades seven to twelve are exposed to HIV/AIDS prevention education.
It was signed into California law in 2015, and took effect in 2016. School districts can choose what kinds of materials to teach and what resources to provide for students.
However, there have been concerns regarding its content. The law allows parents to opt their child out of the program, but many parents do not know exactly what is being taught, Gleason said. And it’s not just about the disease.
“If they want to learn biology, that’s fine. But they’re promoting these sexual orientations, gender identities, even sometimes sex acts as normal and healthy,” Gleason added.
Students are also taught the acceptance of sex outside of marriage, given graphic novels of nudity, and learn how to obtain birth-control or abortion services without their parents’ knowledge.
According to Linda Chavez, president of Alum Rock school board, parents wouldn’t support the curriculum if they knew what is being taught.
“Parents are being told something different. ‘Oh no, this is good.’ They think it’s the same education that they got when they were children.
“It is not, it is totally different. It’s more geared to what their agenda is,” Chavez said.
Gleason says Real Impact has a petition with a goal of 20,000 signatures to show that people are against the sex education curriculum.
She added that for parents who want to opt their child out from these classes, all they have to do is fill out a form and make sure that the school’s principal receives and acts on it.
“Hand it in, mail it in, fax it in, email it in, do whatever you can to make sure that the school principal gets the opt out form. Then you’re going to follow up to make sure that they did get the opt out form. And the school will be notified that your child should not take part in this classroom course,” Gleason said.
Gleason says Real Impact will be producing more videos with more instructions to help parents better protect their children.
