Did Modesto schools use faith-based content in sex ed curriculum? Here’s what we know
Modesto City Schools is updating its eighth-grade sexual education curriculum as its relationship with a faith-based organization is being questioned by the state Attorney General’s Office.
Earlier this month, the school district received a copy of a letter addressed to the Modesto Pregnancy Center from California Attorney General Rob Bonta questioning the medical accuracy of the content provided by the pregnancy center.
According to its website, the pregnancy center’s mission is: “MPC is a Christ-centered ministry dedicated to protecting the unborn, providing for those facing unplanned pregnancies and post abortion trauma, and promoting healthy relationships through a system of support with the love of Jesus Christ.”
In February, parents raised concerns with the school district over the sex ed curriculum. And some parents contacted the California Department of Justice to file a complaint.
While the district said it wasn’t aware of any parent concerns before February, staff began reviewing other educational partners besides the pregnancy center.
What does the AG’s letter say?
The Modesto Pregnancy Center was sent a letter from Bonta regarding the center’s “Personal Health Now” sexual health program and various claims made on the center’s website.
The letter cites California’s false advertising law that states that the Office of the Attorney General “...may require any person doing business in California to substantiate any advertising claim, including any claim that purports to be based on factual, objective, or clinical evidence…”
The letter goes on to list six claims made on the pregnancy center’s website that need to be substantiated by providing the AG’s office with “...supporting business records, memoranda, or other documents should include any and all tests, analyses, research, studies, or other evidence based on the expertise of professionals in the relevant area…”
The listed claims include the pregnancy center’s statement that the material it provides “meets California Healthy Youth Act standards.”
“The California Healthy Youth Act requires California public schools, including charter schools, to provide comprehensive sexual health education,” reads a statement from Bonta included in the release. “The education is required at least once in middle school and at least once in high school. All instruction in all grades must be age appropriate, medically accurate and may not promote religious doctrine.”
The Modesto Bee reviewed a copy of Modesto Pregnancy Center’s sexual education curriculum.
The California Healthy Youth Act states that sex education instruction should include objective information about abortion. The pregnancy center curriculum includes one paragraph that mentions abortion, and its list of Modesto-area health clinics does not include reproductive health centers that provide abortion services, such as Planned Parenthood and FPA Women’s Health.
The Modesto Pregnancy Center said on its website: “We have received the Attorney General’s letter and look forward to addressing documented concerns about our curriculum in conjunction with our trusted legal advisors. We are confident our supplemental curriculum complies with relevant laws.”
How was the Modesto Pregnancy Center involved with MCS?
According to district officials, Modesto City Schools has used Modesto Pregnancy Center’s “Personal Health Now” curriculum for eighth-graders since at least the 1990s.
As part of the curriculum, representatives from the pregnancy center would go into classrooms to give their sex ed presentations.
After hearing concerns from parents in February, the district began to research a new curriculum through the California Healthy Kid Research Center, which maintains and reviews a collection of health education materials for schools that is in accordance with the California Healthy Youth Act.
Modesto Pregnancy Center materials are not in this collection.
Sharokina Shams, the chief communications officer at Modesto City Schools, said the district believes the Modesto Pregnancy Center’s presentations to eighth-grade classes have been informative and compliant with legal requirements. Still, the school district recognizes the need for a new comprehensive curriculum, she said.
“As such, we have proposed a new curriculum — specifically, text that is widely used in school districts — for parent review,” she said. “In fact, those parents who initially expressed concern about the Modesto Pregnancy Center’s curriculum began providing their feedback several months ago.”
Last month, the district told the concerned parents of the updated curriculum, met with them and asked for feedback.
New sex ed curriculum coming for middle school
After examining three sex education curricula, the district decided on “Teen Talk, Middle School: A Comprehensive Sexuality Education Curriculum.”
The curriculum was updated last year to meet the new requirements of the California Healthy Youth Act and was reviewed by the Adolescent Health Working Group. AHWG is a collaborative organization made up of young people and youth-serving providers and caregivers to promote and protect the sexual and reproductive health of youth in the state.
The report on the new curriculum will be presented at the May 13 school board meeting. Parents have until May 19 to review and provide feedback before it is submitted for adoption to the board June 3.
Those who want to submit feedback online after reviewing the material can send comments to cipd@monet.k12.ca.us.
This story was originally published April 17, 2024, 6:00 AM.
