Fremont, CA in shock as school board eliminates elementary sex ed

May 5th, 2018

Fremont families were shocked as a late-night vote by Fremont Unified School District (FUSD) trustees Shao, Campbell, and Sweeney totally eliminated all sexual health education for elementary school students in Fremont for at least the next year.

“Fremont has offered elementary school sex ed since at least 1969,” said FUSD parent and former PTA president Shobana Ramamurthi. “Without fact-based education, our students aren’t going to be equipped to deal with their changing bodies, increased access to pornography, and misinformation among their peers.”

When California’s legislature mandated that all public school sex ed needs to be comprehensive and LGBTQ-inclusive, FUSD staff researched the options, and recommended an educator-designed curriculum that met state guidelines.

Students, doctors, teachers, and parents came forward to support the proposed curriculum. “Over a thousand students and recent alums signed on to an open letter to support comprehensive sex ed that’s compliant with California law,” said FUSD alum Leena Yin. “And it’s not just us. Hundreds of Fremont teachers, parents, medical professionals, and LGBTQ organizations asked the board to support adoption. I can’t believe the board ignored all of these voices.”

But a vocal minority of parents came forward demanding that the legally-compliant curriculum be jettisoned—even though every single parent in the district always has the right to opt out of the curriculum for their children. “Instead of exercising their right to opt out their own children, they tried to make that choice for every single student and parent in the district,” said Fremont parent Asok Chatterjee.

“Some parents were against the curriculum because they were alarmed to see elementary school sex education that affirmed LGBTQ students, or sometimes because it addressed puberty,” said FUSD alum Lucy Shen. “But the truth is, many students start going through puberty or exploring their gender identity in fourth grade, or sometimes even earlier. They need sex ed before they start puberty, not after.”

“I woke up heartbroken," said FUSD alum Anthony Prickett. "As I fought for this curriculum, many people seemed offended by my identity as a queer Chinese-American Christian, seeing these things as incompatible. My heart hurts for all of the queer students who are being denied the opportunity to see how their queerness is a healthy and beloved part of their identities.”

“Given the law, board trustees had two choices,” said Fremont resident, FUSD alum, and registered nurse Kyle Navarro. “They could have listened to students, teachers, doctors and healthcare professionals, and the LGBTQ community, and approved the curriculum, even with small edits. Or they could have chosen to eliminate all sex ed for some or all elementary school grades. They chose the latter, denying sexual health education for thousands of Fremont students at least for the next year. This decision to eliminate elementary school sex ed sets the district backwards in time by at least four decades.”