DOE will maintain sex-education policy

Hawaii law mandates that public schools provide medically accurate, age-appropriate, abstinence-based sex education — and that won’t change with the adoption of the marriage equality law.

The state Department of Education has followed Board of Education Policy 2110 since 1995, requiring the promotion of abstinence for the prevention of pregnancy, HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.

Sex-ed generally is first taught in middle school, starting around sixth grade. A letter is sent home to parents describing the curriculum and its goals, and parents may choose to exclude their children from the instruction.

Schools choose their own curriculum from among several approved by the department as being effective and also adhering to the BOE policy of supporting abstention from sexual intercourse, helping youth who have had sexual intercourse to abstain from further sex until an appropriate time, and providing youth with information about and skill development in the use of devices and methods to prevent sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy.

In addition, Hawaii law mandates that sex-ed programs funded by the state shall provide medically accurate, factual information that is age-appropriate and includes information on abstinence, contraception and methods to prevent unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

A memo issued to complex area superintendents and principals last year lists six curricula that have been approved by the DOE as meeting the policy and law, and two that do not: one is abstinence-only and the other doesn’t emphasize abstinence enough. Specific lessons vary depending on the age of the students.

Of the approved curricula, most provide a teacher’s guide that includes a script for the instructor to follow, discussion questions and background information. The language is generally generic and not gender-specific, referring to partner, for example, rather than male or female, when discussing relationships.

Approved curricula include "Draw the Line, Respect the Line," for grades 6-8; "Family Life and Sexual Health," for grades 5-12, and "Positive Prevention," for grades 6-12.

A new, proposed curriculum, called Pono Choices, is being piloted among 744 middle-schoolers at 18 public schools statewide. It has drawn some complaints from parents, because the course material includes references to same-sex couples. The curriculum, part of a research project out of the University of Hawaii’s Center on Disability Studies, uses inclusive language in an attempt to reach the broadest cross-section of students.

The DOE has not approved the curriculum for regular use, and the assessment process won’t begin until the study ends and data is delivered, said Leila Hayashida, assistant superintendent for curriculum, instruction and student support.