New sex-ed curriculum approved for Broward
Exchange during meeting debate leads to arrest
The teaching of sex education in Broward schools became a heated topic Tuesday, dividing the Broward School Board and leading to a public disruption that ended with the arrest of a district volunteer.
Debbie Espinoza, a member and former chairwoman of the District Advisory Council which makes recommendations to the School Board, got into a heated exchange with conservative activist Deidre Ruth during the meeting.
Espinoza was arrested after a district police officer alleged she pushed him, an allegation a close friend denies.
The School Board voted 5-4 to approve the new sex-ed curriculum, which is less detailed than the previous curriculum but still teaches about condoms, birth control and LGBTQ issues in upper grades. Parents will be allowed to opt their children out.
Board Chairwoman Lori Alhadeff voted no, voicing concern about a section of the curriculum about consent, including a lesson where students discuss when they might be ready to have sex. She was joined by Torey Alston, Brenda Fam and Daniel Foganholi in opposing the curriculum.
Other board members said teaching kids to make decisions about sex is important.
“The statistics don’t lie,” board member Allen Zeman said. “Kids, even though they’re having less sex in high school than they did in
the past, they’re still having a lot of sex.”
The School Board vote followed several raucous rounds of public speakers.
Many speakers urged the district to pass the curriculum, saying thorough sex education was crucial to help reduce pregnancies and HIV transmission.
But conservative opponents argued it violates a parental-rights-in-education law, which critics dubbed “don’t say gay.” The law, and a rule from the state Board of Education, prohibit most instruction of sexual orientation and gender identity in grades K-12 but do allow it for certain health-related classes. Some critics also objected to young children learning the names of body parts.
The meeting was interrupted briefly after Espinoza, who served on a committee that helped develop the curriculum, got into a heated exchange with Ruth.
“We are not up here to teach any child about anal sex, vaginal sex or oral sex,” Espinoza said during her comments.
She said the curriculum instead focuses on teaching children information to protect themselves, including that their private parts are “under their control.”
After she stopped speaking, Espinoza got into the exchange with Ruth, who was waiting in line to speak.
“Ladies, ladies, shh,” a security officer told them.
Alhadeff then called the meeting into a brief recess. Police escorted both out, at which point Ruth had a loud outburst.
“I have a right to speak. She said something to me; I replied back,” Ruth said as she was being escorted out, increasinglyraisinghervoice.
“You just don’t want me to speak! The truth is they are teaching sixth graders anal sex!’
While the sixth-grade curriculum mentions vaginal, anal and oral sex, the focus is mainly on abstinence from these activities, as well as potential risks associated with sex, such as sexually transmitted diseases and the importance of waiting.
Although Ruth had the
only audible outburst in the meeting, it was Espinoza who got arrested: District officials say Espinosa pushed a police officer in the lobby.
“Ms. Espinoza was arrested for battery on a law enforcement officer after causing a disruption during a School Board meeting,” district spokeswoman Keyla Concepcion said.
However, she was actually transported not to a jail but to a nearby hospital “after voicing medical concerns,” Concepcion said.
Ruth has been escorted out of School Board meetings at least three previous times, the most recent one in August, where she came to oppose a resolution in support of LGBTQ History Month.
Ruth was allowed back into the meeting a few minutes later and told Alhadeff she wanted to “publicly apologize” for her outburst.
The sex ed curriculum must still get state approval before it is taught in schools. The district hopes to start offering it around April. No sex ed was offered last year.